The Tie That Binds
by Bigj200016
Summary: Set 6 months after HT, Johnny has something really special planned for his and Mavis's first trip to Hawaii. But after proposing to Mavis, Jonathan realizes that the ties that bind, friends and family are with you when you need them the most. Rated T for some sexuality. Any reviews and comments are appreciated.
1. First Taste

This story begins 6 months after Hotel Transylvania. It is inspired by _Devotion_ by Sondardo and _Acceptance_ by Unanimous Persons. Any other reference to anyone else's work is unintentional.

This is a prequel to my story, The New Vampires. There will be references to that story, and will be some questions answered.

Cover art is by NightLiight on Deviantart. She does amazing work.

Chapter 1

The First Taste

Mavis and Johnny were sitting on the roof enjoying a beautiful March night. Johnny had wanted to take Mavis away much earlier, but she hadn't yet gotten her passport. She received it about a month ago, and he began planning how to tell her about her first trip. He finally decided that this was the night.

"So, Mavy. Do you still wanna travel the world?"

"What do you think? I want to spread my wings and fly," Mavis said as she turned into a bat and started to fly around, before landing back on his shoulder and staying there a minute before he grabbed her, and she changed back.

"I'm glad to hear that," Johnny said as he reached into his pocket, pulling out something. "We leave next week." He pulled out two plane tickets. He was taking her to Hawaii.

Mavis was ecstatic. She jumped almost 10 feet in the air, before landing on top of Johnny, kissing him. Johnny had went into town and got her an iPod, which she began to play what she thought was "traveling music". "Johnny! I can't believe this."

"Believe it. Your father already knows about our trip." There was one thing about the trip that Johnny had not asked him yet. He had something big planned, but needed to wait to tell Drac. It would be a complete surprise for Mavis until he told her. "Can we go inside?"

"Of course." Mavis held him close and they levitated back inside the hotel. "Johnny, something is on your mind."

"Yeah. Just anxious about traveling." Mavis gave him a look that said she knew he wasn't telling her the truth. "Yeah, I thought you wouldn't buy that. Ok, I'll tell you," he said while thinking about the trip, but not of everything. "On our way back from Hawaii, we are going to make a stop off to meet my parents and my family."

"Are we going to tell them," she hesitated for a moment before adding, "Everything?"

Johnny had something big planned for before they would get back to the mainland, so he wasn't worrying about the whole "my girlfriend is a vampire" thing. "Eventually. The plan is to be at their place for about a week. We can start by hiding it, until they like you. That shouldn't take much," he said as he hugged her, "especially with my sister." He didn't know what they would find a bigger surprise; the fact that she was a vampire, or what he had planned for Hawaii.

"How are you so sure about Jenna?"

"The last book she read before I left the last time was _New Moon_." Mavis shook her head. They had watched the first _Twilight_ movie together, and Mavis thought it was a complete joke. The only thing she did like about it, was that it did portray vampires and werewolves in a decent light. "Yeah, I know. But she is my baby sister." The two shared one last kiss before Johnny went to see Drac. There was something he had to ask him before they left, and Johnny knew there was no time like the present.

One of the suits of armor told Johnny that Dracula was in his study. Johnny went there knocking and asked, "Drac, you got a minute?"

"Sure, Jonathan. Anything for you."

Johnny entered and saw him sipping on a blood beater. It still freaked him out a little when he saw the blood substitute on his fangs. "Drac, you know we're leaving next week for Hawaii, right?"

"Of course. I hope you two have a good time. Just not too good of time."

Johnny blushed at hearing this. "That's what I need to talk to you about."

Drac now looked panicked. "You're not planning on getting," Drac paused searching for the best word to put it, "intimate with my baby girl, are you?"

Johnny was stunned and began to turn red. He had wanted to be intimate with Mavis for a while, but knew that the time wasn't yet right. He was willing to wait forever for that time to come. "No, but don't think that I don't want to." Johnny instantly regretted saying this and began to turn even redder. "No, I didn't mean it like that. It's just there is a custom in the human world that I wanted to follow here as well."

"I don't like where this is going. Does this involve my Mavy-Wavy?"

"Yes. You see, before a human asks for a woman's hand in marriage, the guy is supposed to ask her father for permission."

Now it was Dracula who was embarrassed. "Jonathan, forgive me." Johnny looked crushed as he thought that Dracula was killing his dreams instantly. "No, my boy. I don't mean it like that. Forgive me for taking this the wrong way. Nothing would make me happier than to see you and my baby be wed."

"Thanks, Drac. I love her so much, and you as well." Johnny said as he hugged Dracula who looked like he was a little uncomfortable with it.

"So, when do you plan on asking her?"

"I think when we're in Hawaii. I know it will stun my parents when we see them."

"I'm still not sure about that, Jonathan. You must be careful how much you will reveal to them."

"But, Drac. They're my family. If they can't accept you guys for who you are, then I don't want them in my life."

"My boy, I hope you two have a great time. Just the thought of more humans finding out about us still concerns me."

Johnny knew that he wouldn't be able to quell Drac's fears, so he just let it go. The two exchanged goodbyes and Johnny went back to Mavis's room.

He entered without knocking, after the shrunken head said that she was waiting for him. As he opened the door, he asked, "Mavis, you decent?" He entered to see her lying in her bed, with her shoes off, but still dressed. "You wanna go watch the sunrise? I got something I wanna try."

"A sunrise with Johnnystein. How romantic." The two headed back to the roof. Mavis hid in his shadow, but the sight of the sunrise still inspired her.

Johnny wanted anything in the world to be able to show her a sunset. He had told her that they can be even more beautiful that the sunrise. She longed to be able to see one, but it would be almost impossible since the existing light would burn her. "Are you willing to try something?" Mavis nodded at him, and Johnny pulled out a small tube of some sort of lotion. "This is called 'sunblock'. Humans use it, because over time the sun can burn us, and cause cancers." He rubbed some of the oily lotion on her skin as she pulled off her glove. "Just trust me, my zing." Johnny began to pull her hand into the sunlight. Immediately Mavis retracted it when she felt the warmth of the sun on it. "Did that burn you?"

"No," she said surprised, "I just expected it to."

"Let's try that again." He began to pull her hand back into the light. "Don't pull it back until it is unbearable."

To Mavis's surprise, she didn't get burned. She felt a warmth in her hand, but no burning sensation. She began to cry. "Johnny, I can't believe this. I won't need my umbrella any more, and I can go out in the daytime."

"I wouldn't go that far. To cover you from head to toe would get expensive, quickly. You should probably still use the umbrella and a hat. But as far as your arms and legs, this should do nicely." The two shared a moment looking at the horizon before the sun began to burn the untreated portions of Mavis. The two went back into her room.

"Johnny, I can't believe this. This will make our trip even more perfect." Johnny still wasn't going to tell her about the big surprise still to come.

The two embraced and pulled each other close. Johnny then locked lips with Mavis. Something told him that this was the right time to take their relationship to another level. He started caressing her lips with his tongue, and when he felt her lips open, he inserted his tongue into her mouth. As he was licking her tongue around the inside, something stabbed it. He had accidentally caught one of her fangs.

The instant taste of human blood inside Mavis's mouth was heavenly and addictive. She began trying to suck every drop she could get from his tongue. Johnny felt this, and was overcome by a feeling of passion. By chance he opened his eyes, and was horrified by Mavis's. Her eyes were not the big, beautiful blue ones he had been hypnotized by, but were narrow red slits. Johnny began to scream and gasp for breath. He was able to separate their lips, but still had lost some of his color; not from blood loss, but rather fear. "Johnny, that was incredible."

"Which part? The kiss, or you trying to swallow my tongue?"

Mavis's eyes had returned to normal. "What happened?" Mavis asked.

"I tried to deepen our kiss, and got one of your fangs with my tongue. Then you started to try and," he paused for a second, "I don't know what you tried to do."

Mavis started to stare at his neck. She could see the bulging of his neck where his carotid artery was carrying the divine liquid into his brain. She stared to lick her lips, and her fangs grew to almost twice their normal size. He eyes flashed between her normal blue ones, and the red slits that terrified Johnny. "Mavis, what are you doing?"

Mavis realized what had happened, and she was terrified by it as well. She ran out of her room and in desperate need of her father. She had tasted human blood for the first time, and contrary to what her father had said, it didn't taste fatty and disgusting, but heavenly. "Why did he lie to me about that? And why do I crave more of it from him?"

As Mavis entered Dracula's study, he instantly recognized the horrified look on her face. "Honeybat, what's wrong?"

"Dad, why did you tell me that human blood was so bad?"

Now Dracula had a similar look on his face to the one that she had. "What happened?"

Mavis was embarrassed to reveal what she had to, but knew that if she wanted answers about this, she had to tell him everything. Dracula was actually relieved when he heard the whole story. He was afraid that it was much worse; that either they had been intimate, or she actually had bit him. "It was an accident, honey. You didn't mean to."

"But I wanted more."

"I wish I knew what to tell you, but there is nothing that I could. It's just your inner monster trying to get out. But you can beat it."

"Daddy, I almost lost control. I wanted to bite Johnny's neck. Had I not seen the terrified look on his face and ran out, I don't know what would have happened."

"But you didn't. That's all that matters." There was a knock on the door. "Who is it?"

"Drac, it's me," Johnny said, "Can we talk?"

Dracula whispered to Mavis, "Go hide. I think you need to listen to this, but let him think that he is only talking to me." Mavis relented. Dracula knew that if Johnny and Mavis were going to wed, then he needed to know everything. Dracula then said at his normal volume, "Come in, my boy."

Johnny entered and still looked scared. "Drac, what happened to Mavis?"

Dracula tried to lie, but Johnny knew instantly. "You're right. She tasted your blood, and was hooked. From what I gathered, it was an accident."

"How do you know that?"

"Come out Mavis," he said and Mavis came into view. "We need to be honest about everything."

"Johnny, I'm scared," Mavis said. "I wanted your blood, and almost didn't stop myself."

"Mavis, I knew this was a possibly." Both the vampires were stunned. "But I still don't care. I would give anything for you, even my life."

"No," Dracula said. "Johnny, no matter what says, you must resist. She mustn't taste your blood. You must stay away from her."

"But I love her, and I don't want to be separated from her."

"I didn't mean permanently. Just until the taste leaves her pallet. Mavis, you must drink about twice the amount of blood beaters as normal for a few days, and you should be fine."

Johnny was nervous, "Do you think this will affect our trip?"

Dracula turned to Mavis, "You should be fine in a few days, but it is your decision," he turned to Johnny, "both of yours."

They decided that Johnny would stay away from Mavis for three days, and she would try to ween herself. If after the three days, she could control the urge to feed upon Johnny, they would still travel as planned.


	2. Johnny's Got a Girlfriend

Author's Note: As some of you will remember from HT2, Mavis and Dracula did not appear in any of the pictures in the wedding, however, they could video chat and Mavis also appeared in the security video in the mini mart.

* * *

Chapter 2

Johnny's Got a Girlfriend

For the past two nights, Johnny had stayed away from Mavis. He didn't like having to do that, but Dracula assured him that was the only way she could break free of the desire for his blood. Johnny did manage to catch glimpses of her, and they were able to text each other, but he was craving her company. He was about to send her another text, but something made him want to hear her voice, so he called her.

By accident, Johnny hit the button for FaceTime, and Mavis accepted it. When he saw the image on his screen, he was shocked. Mavis said, "Johnny, what's wrong?"

"Where are you right now?"

"Out by the pool. Why?"

"Just don't hang up. I gotta show you this." Johnny sprinted from his room, down to the pool. He didn't care if this affected her recovery. She had to see this. Upon spotting her at the pool, he switched phones with her. "Just look at the screen," he said as he pointed the camera at her.

Mavis was just as surprised as Johnny was. Filling the screen was an image, but Mavis was unsure if it was herself, as she had never seen a picture of herself, only painted portraits. "Johnny, is that me?"

"Yeah."

"But I don't understand. Vampires can't be photographed, can they?"

Johnny wasn't sure. He thought this was the case, so he never tried to. He ended the call. "You wanna try and see?"

Tears began to fill Mavis's eyes. She had never been so happy in her life, save for a few times with Johnny. "More than anything in the world."

Johnny began by aiming the camera in his phone at her. Her image filled the screen on his phone, but when he tried to take a picture, it was weird. "Huh. Never would have expected that."

"Let me see." Mavis looked at his phone and could see the outline of her body and her clothes in their entirety, but not her skin.

Then Johnny aimed the camera at her again, and pressing a few buttons, he began to record a video of Mavis. This time, her image was saved in its entirety. "Wow. I have never seen you look more beautiful than you do right now." The two embraced, as Mavis was still letting out tears of joy. "One more thing to try. Selfie time."

"What's a 'selfie'?"

"A picture of yourself, by yourself." He switched to the forward facing camera, and moved in close to Mavis, grabbing her waist with his right hand, as he positioned his phone with his left. "Just look at the screen," he said as he was about to push the button to take the picture. Mavis was yet again captured by her own image. She didn't notice that Johnny was stalling in taking the picture. He had a thought that seemed to be perfect. He leaned in closer to her, and kissed her on her cheek. As soon as his lips landed, he snapped the picture.

"Oh, Johnny. I think it worked." She noticed in the bottom left corner a small image of both of them, with him kissing her.

Johnny enlarged the image, and there it was. "So only selfies," he said chuckling. "I'm gonna ask your dad later, but I think I'm gonna send this to my sister to show everyone. He zoomed in to make sure there was nothing there that exposed her as a vampire. "Nope. Can't see your fangs."

"I can't wait to see your family."

"So, how has the withdrawal been?"

"Why are you talking to me like I am a junkie?"

"Because you were the one who said you were addicted to it."

"I don't want your blood, if that's what you mean."

"Good. So we are still good to leave in a few days?"

"Why wouldn't we be?"

"Glad to know. I love you so much," Johnny said as he leaned in one more time to kiss her. When their lips locked this time, a desire entered Mavis's mind. It wasn't for his blood, but for something else. It scared her, and she pulled away from his kiss. "I gotta go to the bathroom," she said stuttering as she ran into the lobby.

Mavis was scared of this new craving for Johnny. She ran in to see her father, hoping for some answers. "Dad, I'm scared."

"What's wrong, my little coffin cake?"

"Johnny and I were by the pool, and"

Dracula cut her off. "That fool. I knew it was too soon," he snarled. He had assumed that she wasn't yet over the lust her his blood.

"No, daddy. It wasn't that. When he kissed me, I wanted something. But I don't know what it is."

Dracula's eyes got as wide as they could possibly be. He was afraid of this day, but was glad that it had come before they had left the hotel, so he could explain it to her. "Oh, Honeybat. You've become a beautiful woman," he said as he stroked her hair. "Your body is telling you that it's ready to take the relationship to another level."

"Another level?" Mavis asked, "What do you mean?"

Dracula began turning red in the face. He couldn't believe that he would have to explain the bats and the rats (the vampire term for birds and bees) to her. "You see, Mavy, when" but that was all he could get out before he started stuttering. "You know what, I think your Aunt Wanda will be over soon. I think she could explain it better than I."

"But what are you talking about?"

"Please. Let me see if she can explain it to you."

"Ok, daddy." Mavis went to her room as Dracula called Wanda who was at their home.

"Hello," Dracula heard Wayne answer.

"Hello, Wayne. Is Wanda there?"

"Yeah. Just a minute." Dracula heard Wayne lower the phone and call for his wife

She picked up a receiver in a different room in their home, and said, "Hello?"

"Hello, Wanda. I was wondering if you could come to the hotel for a little bit."

"What happened this time," she said a little annoyed. She remembered the last time Dracula had called her like this. Mavis had just had her first period, and was freaking out about it. Dracula tried to explain it, but had relied on her to do it. Just some things are better handled woman to woman. "She's not pregnant, is she?"

"No, but I think they're ready."

"Ready for what? They're not even married yet. Hell, they're not even engaged yet."

"That's going to change shortly." Dracula was embarrassed that he had just told someone what Johnny was planning, "but don't tell her I said that. Johnny wants it to be a surprise."

"Oh. She is ready for the 'talk'."

Hearing it like that scared the living nightlight out of Dracula. "Yeah, I think so."

"I'll leave here as soon as I can." Wanda was able to leave within about 20 minutes. Wayne couldn't believe that Dracula couldn't discuss this with his own daughter.

"Man, he can be a real wuss."

"I know honey." Wanda said even though she knew Dracula might be right on this one.

Dracula went to see Jonathan in his room first. When he entered, Johnny was laying on his bed looking at something on his phone. "Oh, hey Drac."

"Jonathan, there is something we need to talk about."

"Yeah, me too," Johnny answered back. He showed his phone to Dracula. "It was an accident, but"

"She didn't bite you, did she?" Drac asked as he searched every inch of his exposed flesh for puncture marks.

"No, why would you think that?"

"No reason. Just Mavis came to me in a little bit of ago, and was troubled about something."

"Look at this." Johnny handed the phone to Dracula, but he had issues using it, due to his long fingernails. "Here, use the bottom of your fingers, not your fingertips."

It was awkward, but Dracula was slowly able to look through the pictures Johnny had taken in the past. Three stood out to him. One was of Mavis's clothes, and a silhouette of her body. The next had a still image that showed her whole face and image in its entirety. The final was a still of the two of them, with him kissing her on the cheek. "Jonathan, how?"

"I still don't know. But I'd like to send that last one to my family. You can't see her fangs or anything else that wouldn't make you thing she isn't human." Jonathan regretted the way he said it, but wasn't sure of a better way to say it.

Dracula looked at the picture and new that he was right. "Go ahead, Jonathan."

"Thanks, Drac. Now what did you want to talk about."

Dracula was still looking at the picture of them. He knew what the answer to what he wanted to talk to him about. Johnny wanted more than anything else to spend the rest of his life with Mavis. It was just a shame that his life would be so short. He began to be lost in his thoughts. To transform Jonathan would be risky, especially if it was he to do it. But if Mavis did it on the other hand, when it was your zing, it had a much better chance of being successful. "Oh, nothing. I already got my answer. Can you try and take a picture of me?"

"Sure, Drac." Johnny stood close to Dracula as he opened the camera app. "It will only work for a picture this way. I could take a video of you, but I don't know if you want that."

"No a still would be fine." Johnny took the selfie, and Dracula was as happy as Mavis was to actually see an image of himself. "Thanks, Jonathan. You've just made my decade."

"Anytime." Dracula left the room, and Johnny began talking to himself. "Now, who do I send this to?" He decided that little Miss _Twilight_ herself should see it first. He texted the picture of Mavis and himself to his sister, Jenna, along with a text message. "Sis, you can share this picture with the family. I got a girlfriend."

A minute later his phone rang. It was Jenna. "What do you mean you got a girlfriend? The two of you look like you're a lot closer than that."

Jenna always could deduce when someone was hiding something from her. "Yeah, you're right. Don't tell mom and dad this, but I'm gonna pop the question when we're in Hawaii next week. It just seems right, because that's where her mom and dad met."

"Aww, how sweet. So what's her name?"

"Mavis."

"Mavis what?"

"I can't tell you yet."

"Great, so you're going to try and keep a secret from me. I'm just going to pester you until you tell me."

"You can't tell anyone this, but there is more to her than meets the eye."

"What are you going to tell me; that she's a werewolf or a vampire now?"

Johnny couldn't believe that she had guessed it, but luckily he knew she was just being sarcastic. "No, it's just her father is a very powerful man in Romania, and if anyone knew that his daughter was to wed an American, it wouldn't be popular here."

"Alright, Johnny. I won't pry anymore." She thought back to earlier in the call. "Didn't you say you two were going to Hawaii?"

"Yep. We leave in like 5 days."

"So, are you guys gonna stop by here?"

"Yeah. I need to see if one of you guys could give us a ride from Oakland home?"

"When do you land?"

"Two weeks from yesterday at about 10PM."

"I don't work on Wednesdays, so I can get you guys."

"Great. Thanks, sis. See ya in two weeks."

"Bye, trouble."

Jenna showed the picture to her family. Everyone was stunned at her beauty, none more than his older brother, Kent. "Man, he really 'out kicked the coverage' on this one." Everyone gave him a dirty look, with the dirtiest coming from his girlfriend and Jenna.

"Yeah, they'll be coming to visit in like two weeks," Jenna said.

"Then I guess I better get his room ready again," his mother, Linda, said.

* * *

Author's note: For all of my non American Football knowing readers, the term "out kicked the coverage" in this context means when you are dating or marrying someone who is either too nice, beautiful, or of a higher class than yourself.


	3. The Talk

**Author's Note:** I had the draft for this chapter done a while ago, but I just wasn't completely happy with it. I am still not thrilled about it, but I love the way that the next chapter is. I am releasing it, but there may be an update to this one at a later time, so I can get the following chapter up. Any tips that someone has on how to make this chapter better would be appreciated either by review or PM. Thank you.

Chapter 3

The Talk

Dracula walked down the hall to Mavis's room. He had something he needed to tell her, but how could he? He knew that she loved Jonathan, but did she love him just because he was human, or was it something about him that she craved. Either way, she needed to know this.

"Honeybat, are you in there?" Dracula asked as he knocked on the door.

Mavis was sitting on her bed looking at the book on true love that her mother had made for her last birthday. "Come in, daddy." Dracula entered and looked at his daughter as she tried to hide the book. "What's up?"

Dracula, humoring his daughter, looked at the ceiling, pointed at it, and said, "That." They both laughed at this. "No, but Coffin Cake, I want to know what your plans are with Jonathan."

"We leave for Hawifi in a few days, then we are going to see his parents. I don't know where the wind will take us after that."

"No, No. I mean your plans WITH Jonathan, for the long term?"

"Oh. I don't know. I mean I feel something special with him every time we are around each other, like this song says." She pulled out her iPod and played _Sparks Fly_ by Taylor Swift. "I think he is the one I want to spend eternity with."

Dracula was afraid of this. He had already given Jonathan his blessing to marry Mavis, but the way she said it upset him. "You know, Sweet Fangs, Jonathan doesn't have eternity to spend with you."

Mavis began to tear up. "What do you mean? That he doesn't really love me?"

"Not at all. It's just he is human, and they don't live very long. I think the oldest one died at 130. He will get old and frail, while you will still be at the prime of your life."

"If it can't be helped, then I will figure out how to deal with it."

"That's just it, Mavy. It can be helped."

"How?" Mavis asked as she began to cease crying.

"We could turn him into a vampire."

"Is that even possible?"

"It is, but it can be dangerous. I don't mean that it might kill him, at least not on the first attempt, but there are worse fates than death."

"Like what? If we got to spend eternity together, then I think I can deal with anything."

Dracula was terrified by the way she put it. "You see, honey, he must have pure motives to want to be transformed. It must be because of his desire to be with you, and any children you two might have in the future or to protect you and your children. If he wants to simply because of the powers and strength he would gain, he could be transformed into a complete monster."

Mavis was horrified of what her father had just said asking, "What do you mean 'a complete monster'."

"You know the bats who serve Grandpa Vlad?"

"Yeah?" She asked questioningly.

"They are all failed transformations. Every one of them sought to be vampires for the sole purpose of the powers they would get. Their souls were weak, couldn't take it, and their bodies became as ugly as their souls. And your Grandpa, who at the time, still hunted humans was all too willing to try and turn them for the price of their blood, plus them serving him for eternity. Your Grandfather was a monster in every sense of the word."

Mavis began crying realizing why she had rarely seen her grandfather, even though he sent birthday cards and presents from time to time. "So you're saying that Johnny could end up like them?"

"It's possible, but highly unlikely. Jonathan isn't power hungry like they were. He loves you deeply, and I know that he wants to spend eternity with you as well. You will just have to trust him."

"I trust him with all I can, Daddy. I wouldn't be ready to meet his family if I didn't."

"I know you do. But you needed to know this, so the two of you could discuss it. I will help in any way that I can."

"So can you turn him?"

"I could try, but it is a lot less risky if it were you who did it."

"But, I don't know how to."

"I can tell you and help you as much as I can, but the most pure reason to want to be transformed is love; especially true love between Zings. That's why it must be you who does it."

"So was this what you were trying to tell me earlier?"

"No, your Aunt Wanda should be over shortly for that. I knew I needed to tell you this after talking to Jonathan, and seeing the picture you two took. I saw the way you looked when he kissed you, and you were lost in the moment. It is perfect that moment is frozen in time, forever." Mavis had a large smile on her face when she heard this. "I actually had him take a photograph of me. I had never seen a captured image of myself, save for paintings."

"It was enchanting, wasn't it?" Mavis asked her father.

"Yes. How did you know that?"

"Because I felt it too. The fact he kissed me didn't change the fact that I loved seeing my picture, almost as much as I love him."

"Ok, Honeybat. I'll let you think about what you want to say to Jonathan."

Dracula left her room. Mavis was lost in her thoughts. How could she risk turning him into a complete monster, even though Dracula thought the chance of that was extremely small? She wouldn't be able to live with herself if they tried it and it failed, or worse killed him. "What if I take too much blood? What if he can't handle it?" Even though she knew he would be strong enough, it still worried her that once she tasted his blood again, it might be too much for her. She decided that she wouldn't tell Johnny for a while. "At least let's get back from our trip, then we can talk about it.

Jonathan knocked on her door. "Your dad said that you might have something you want to talk about."

"Just that I want to see you and explain something." Johnny entered and saw Mavis, still with dried tears in her eyes. Johnny went over and sat next to her, wiping the remnants of her tears away. "It's just dad was explaining some things to me, like the fact that I'll outlive you by a lot."'  
"I know, but I want to be with you for as long as I can. I love you, Mavis."

Mavis was torn. Could she live with herself if she turned him into a monster instead of a vampire? Would she love him if he wasn't human? She decided that this wasn't the time to talk about it. Maybe later. After all, Johnny was only 21. If they waited a few years, what harm could that do?

"Tell me about Hawifi again."

"It's a chain of islands in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. It will be warm and there are several beaches. The water is deep blue, and almost as beautiful as your eyes." Johnny became lost in her eyes again. Even though she hadn't yet found her hypnotizing power, she was able to hypnotize Johnny when he looked into her eyes.

"So how will we get there?" She asked snapping him back to reality.

We'll take a train from Brasov to Bucharest, then fly from Bucharest to Honolulu with stops in London, New York, and Los Angeles. We will have time to eat and rest during our layovers between flights." Johnny had begun to introduce Mavis to some human staples that they would be likely to eat on the way. With meats the general rule of thumb was the rarer, the better. She would have a small amount of Blood Beaters in her carry on, which the witches would disguise as water, at least for the trip there. On the way back, they had decided to break the trip down into shorter segments so she could see other places.

Just then there was a knock at her door.

"Mavis, honey, are you in there?" Said a familiar woman's voice.

"Yes, Aunt Wanda. Come in." Wanda entered the room, and was surprised to see Jonathan as well. "So what did dad want to tell me, but couldn't?"

It was one of the first times that Mavis couldn't remember seeing Wanda pregnant with another litter. He figure had returned to its normal shape, and she was very beautiful, even though she was slightly older than her father. "It's about love. Or should I say making love."

"I think this is something I should leave the two of you to talk about," Johnny said as he headed for the door.

"But don't you want to know about this also?" Mavis asked.

"I have heard it all before. Sex Ed is a required class in human high schools, and besides I need to talk to your dad anyway. We leave in three days."

"Ok, Johnny. It was nice seeing you," Wanda said as he left the room. "He was right. Your dad wants me to talk to you about being intimate with Johnny." Mavis began to blush. "It's nothing to be ashamed of. In fact, it's one of the best ways that two people can express their love. You just have to be sure that the moment is right for your first time."

"But how will we know that?"

"Listen to your heart. It knows when you're ready to take that next step." Wanda then asked sympathetically, "How far have you two gone so far?"

Mavis was embarrassed to admit it, but with it being her aunt, and the fact that she wouldn't repeat anything she told her made her feel better. "We've kissed, but that's about it."

"What do you mean by 'about it'?"

"Well, he stuck his tongue in my mouth one time while we were kissing, but it didn't go any further than that."

"Oh. I thought you might have gone even farther than that. When the time is right, you both will know it. It begins with kissing, normally, but will end with you doing something else."

"What are you talking about?"

"I trust that Johnny already knows what he would do when the time is right. You just will follow his lead. The two of you then let your bodies take over. But there will be a magical moment if the time is indeed right where your bodies, minds, and spirits will merge. I don't know how to describe it other than pure bliss."

"But how will I know when the time is right?"

"That's the hardest part. I have never heard of anyone regretting waiting too long. Waiting for it is like waiting for a fine wine that will get better with age. But when it happens too soon, the merging doesn't happen. Sure it can be pleasurable, but it's not the same. It could be on your wedding night. It could be before. You just have to trust yourselves when you both think the moment is right."

"When was yours and Uncle Wayne's first time?"

"We waited until after our wedding. He wanted it sooner, but I wouldn't give it to him until then, even though I was tempted many times. Waiting makes it even more special."

"Do you know when mom and dad's first time was?"

"No, but I wouldn't be shocked if it was after their wedding as well. Ask your father."

"Ok. Thanks, Auntie Wanda."

"Do you have any questions?"

"Tons, but I don't know how to put them."

"Is Johnny your Zing?"

"Absolutely. I want to spend forever with him."

"Then don't worry about it. When the moment is right, it will happen. You let your bodies take over, and enjoy the ride. Knowing when the moment is right is the hard part. It's different for every couple."

The two women shared a hug before Wanda left Mavis's room. She reminded her that she was free to call her with any questions.


	4. Crossed Wires

Chapter 4

Crossed Wires

Jonathan went to see Dracula after he left Mavis's room. He wanted to know if the ring he had bought would be ok. He stayed away from silver, since some myths said that it was harmful to monsters. He decided on a white gold band set with three gemstones. On the outside were two sapphires with a smaller but brilliant diamond in between. He thought the sapphires would compliment her eyes beautifully. And you could never go wrong with a diamond, right?

Knocking on the door of his study Jonathan asked, "Drac, you got a minute?"

"Not really, but what do you need."

"I can come back later if you're busy."

"Nonsense. I can make a little time."

"I got the ring I want to give to Mavis," Jonathan said as he pulled the box from his pocket. I wasn't sure if the myths about silver were true or not, so I went with white gold for the band."

Dracula took it in his hand and there was no reaction between the ring and his hand. "Jonathan, it's beautiful. I know my Mavy will love it."

Just then there was a knock on the door. A woman's voice said, "Drac, are you in there?" They were both relieved that it was Wanda as Dracula invited her in. "What are the two of you up to?" She noticed Jonathan holding an empty ring box while Dracula still had the ring in his hand.

"Nothing," Jonathan said not convincingly as he grabbed the ring back from Dracula and put it back in the box.

"Holy Rabies," Wanda said, "You're actually going to do it, aren't you?"

Jonathan's face almost turned as pale as Dracula's. He couldn't believe that his secret was out. "Yeah," he said unsure of what to do. "I'm gonna ask her when we get to Hawaii. I think I'm gonna do it the second night we're there, since my parents' anniversary is on April 5th. It might be perfect that it would also be our Yes Day."

"Yes Day?" Wanda asked

"You know. The day she said 'yes'. The day she agreed to marry me."

"That's sweet," Wanda said. She turned to Dracula, "We had the talk."

"Don't say anymore until we can be in private about that," Dracula said sternly.

"Sorry. I guess I should leave. But, Aunt Wanda, please don't say anything to Mavis about me proposing. I want it to be a surprise."

"I won't honey," she said as she gave him a small kiss.

As he left, Dracula told him to come back later. There was something else he needed to talk to him about. Jonathan agreed that they could meet after dinner.

"He is such a nice boy. I can't believe that we were scared of humans before he arrived," Wanda said with Dracula nodding in agreement. "I think their both ready, or just about." Dracula looked nervous about this. "If he is ready to propose, it is just a matter of time. Besides, I can tell that they are zingers. They're perfect for each other."

"I hope you didn't tell Mavis that."

"I only told her that when the time is right for your first time, it will be magical. But I also told her that doing it too early can make it not as special."

"It's not too late to cancel their trip."

"Why would you do that? You've already given him your blessing to marry Mavis, haven't you?" Dracula nodded in confirmation. "Then why would you ruin her trip and all the planning he has done to set up his proposal?"

"I was joking. I want my Mavy to be happy, that's why I also had a talk with her."

"Oh? What about?"

"Her turning Jonathan into a vampire. That way he can be with her forever."

"Do you think they will want to do that?"

"I don't know, but if Jonathan really wants to be with Mavis for eternity like he told me, it's the only way."

Wanda decided to stay the day at the hotel. She wanted to get a massage and some other things at the spa. And why not let Wayne have a little fun with his spawn after all?

Jonathan went back to Mavis's room. He had forgotten that he still had the ring in his pocket until he knocked on her door and went in. "Hey, Mavy."

"Don't you have your own room, Johnny?"

"Yeah, but I can't spend time there with you." He went to her and hugged her, and gave her a little kiss. "You want to dance?"

"I love would love to dance with Johnnystein. But I don't hear any music."

"I got that covered." Johnny pulled out his phone and played _Hungry Eyes_ by Eric Carmen. "It's from one of my mom's favorite movies."

Mavis got lost in the message. Her eyes got hungrier and hungrier as they danced to the music. By the end they were almost blood red, but they were still large and eerily beautiful.

"Mavis, what's wrong?"

"I want you," she said in a sultry voice. "I'm ready."

Jonathan's eyes got as wide as they could, and a look of fear came over him. Could this really be how his life would end? "But Mavis, you can't."

"You know you want to." She slammed him on the bed with the speed and strength of a vampire. She began kissing him on the lips, and slipped him the tongue as well. Johnny was trying to scream, but no sound would come out.

He thought, "If she was going to bite me and suck out all my blood, why would she be doing this? Why not just get it over with? There has to be something else that she wants."

"Johnny, that was incredible," she said as their lips separated.

"DRAC!" Johnny was finally able to scream between gasping for breath.

Mavis moved to the side of his neck and began to nuzzle on it. He could feel her fangs scrape his skin, but the bite he expected never came.

It was the most pleasurable experience he had ever had, but the way she was acting still had him deathly afraid. "DRAC!" He yelled again as loud as he could.

"Why are you calling for my dad? Don't you want to do it?"

"Not really. I don't want you to," he stopped mid sentence as Dracula entered her room, and was terrified at what he saw.

"Mavis, what are you doing?" He demanded of her pulling her off of him.

"Dad, it isn't what it looks like."

"It looked like you were about to bite him."

"No, I wasn't. I thought it was the right time."

Dracula and Jonathan were both confused. Dracula thought she might have meant to turn him, while Jonathan thought she meant to have their first time.

"Drac, it's cool. I think I misunderstood what she was doing." He went back over to her and hugged her. "I'm sorry I overreacted. I thought you hadn't gotten over you desire for my blood, and I panicked."

"Johnny, I should have told you, instead of just acting. But I thought you would want to."

"I do, but I don't know if I'm ready yet, Mavy. I want to desperately, but I don't want to ruin our first time by doing it too early."

"That's what Aunt Wanda said too."

Dracula became as red as a vampire could be upon hearing all of this. They had forgotten that he was even in the room. He slipped out and went to see Wanda.

Mavis noticed the bulge in his pocket. (Not that. Get your mind out of the gutter.) "What's that?"

"It's a surprise."

"Is it for me?"

"Maybe. But I'm not going to give it to you until we're in Hawaii." Jonathan blushed when he revealed he had a surprise for her in Hawaii. Just then his phone rang.

It was his sister. She had never talked to Mavis, and it seemed to be the right time. He declined the call, but called her back using FaceTime, which she accepted. "Hey, sis."

"Hi, Johnny. And that must be Mavis next to you."

Mavis smiled at her almost exposing her fangs, but not quite. "Yes. Hello, Jenna. It's so nice to finally get to speak with you."

Something seemed off about Mavis's expression to Jenna. Her mouth wasn't opened wide enough for the smile it looked like her eyes wanted to give. She was hiding something. Her teeth that were exposed looked perfectly pearl white. But two of them looked a little different. "So, how's life in Romania?"

"Great," Johnny interrupted urging Mavis to play along. "We've been staying at this old castle, and met all sorts of interesting people."

"Like your father, Mavis?"

"Dad? You know how they can be; a little overprotective of their kids, especially their baby girls."

"Yeah. My dad is the dame way. I just wish he'd let me go out on my own a little bit. I mean, I'll graduate high school next year, but he won't even let look at colleges nearby on my own."

"So where do you want to go, sis?" Jonathan asked.

"I really don't know. I'm thinking Cal, but a part of me wants to get away from here. Maybe UCLA or USC. Especially since I have the grades to go anywhere I want, and could probably get a scholarship."

"Sounds like fun," Mavis said, even though she had no idea about anything Jenna had just said. "And I can't wait to meet you in person in a week and a half."

"Ditto. Talk to you guys later."

They hung up the phone. Mavis said, "She seems nice."

"She is. Just a little bit of a snoop. I almost wanted to tell her about you now."

"Why didn't you?"

"I don't know. Jenna is great at keeping secrets, but something tells me that you two need to meet in person, first."

"I trust you Johnny. When you think the time is right, I will be ready to explain everything." She held him closer, "And when you are ready for our first time, I'll be ready for that as well."

Jonathan gulped loudly. Hearing Mavis talk like this was a huge turn-on. "I'm so sorry I misinterpreted what you were trying to do. I just panicked, especially when you went for my neck. I thought you were going to bite me."

"Maybe one day," she said in a very sexy voice, "but not until we're both ready for that."

Jonathan was now confused. Did vampires kill their human lovers after they were done with them? Or was this some way they could be together forever? "I trust you, Mavis. When you're ready to, just let me know."

Now it was Mavis who was surprised. Had her father told him about turning him, or did Johnny think she would have to feed on him? "We both have to be ready. That will be the final level of our relationship, but we can't even think about that for a while." Mavis thought back to what her father had said about Bela and his cronies. She thought, "I can't turn Johnny into one of them. Even if he could live with me forever, I couldn't live with myself." The two shared one last passionate kiss together before heading down for dinner.

Mavis and Johnny sat at a table with Dracula and Wanda. Wanda asked, "So how are you two lovebirds?"

Dracula became as red as possible, giving Wanda a stern and dirty look.

"Fine, I guess. Just had a little misunderstanding," Mavis said.

"That may be the understatement of the century," Johnny added. "It was my fault."

"You two are perfect for each other. I know the two of you will make each other happy for a very long time, perhaps eternity."

Mavis looked guilty about this. She still hadn't told Johnny about turning him. The time wasn't right. They would leave in three nights. Mavis was sure that she loved Johnny, but she had to wait to talk to him about this.

"So are you all packed, honey?" Dracula asked.

"Almost, just a few more things to get still. More sunblock for one."

"There's one other thing we will need to consider, Mavy. How are you going to feed?"

Mavis didn't know. This was the one thing neither of them considered. "I hadn't thought of it. I guess I'll just eat human food."

"No, my little mouse. I mean how are you going to feed?" He said stretching out every letter. "You know, blood?"

"Oh. I guess we can just take a few cases of Blood Beaters."

Johnny knew this wouldn't work. It would be too expensive to ship cases of it on their passenger plane. And if anyone opened one of the cartons, they would be in for a shock, even though they were plain white boxes. "We could probably take enough to get thru our trip to Hawaii, and then have more shipped to my parents' house. We'd just need to make sure that it wouldn't arrive before we got there. How much do you need a day?"

"About half a quart, but I can also hunt for mice and other small animals to lessen that."

Jonny said, "You will need to be careful about that. Humans keep many small animals for pets, like dogs and cats mostly, but a few have mice and other things like that."

"So I will make sure that a case of Blood Beaters is at your parents' house on your second day there," Dracula instructed. "You will need to make up some story about what it is to tell them."

The pair all enjoyed their meal together. This would be one of the last time that they would all get to see each other before Johnny asks her the question.

Back at Jonathan's home, Jenna was still lost in thought. What was Mavis hiding from her? Her complexion was too perfect, and she wore dark lipstick and makeup. "Why would Johnny hide that she was Goth? It's gotta be something else." For some reason her mind was drawn to _Twilight_. "That can't be it. Vampires don't exist, do they?" She picked up her copy of _Breaking Dawn_. She read closely the descriptions of Bella after she was turned, then watched the final scenes of the first part of the film. They seemed to fit with Mavis well, although not perfectly.

"Johnny can't be in love with a vampire. He just can't." She thought back to the books. "Why not? After all, it worked out fine for Edward and Bella. But would she really have to turn him? Would he still be the same fun loving brother he always knew? And how does 'feeding' work? Are we all in danger?" She kept coming up with more questions the more she thought about it. Jenna finally allowed herself to forget about it. They would have time to talk about all of it on the ride back from the airport. She was glad that she would have time to talk to them alone, and maybe figure it all out before. "Maybe I should take my books. And a little bit of blood." One of her old boyfriends had engaged in a protest and got some pigs blood to pour on something. There were several slaughterhouses not too far from their home. "What am I thinking? Just stop it!" But she couldn't stop thinking about it, and wanted more than anything else to call Johnny to get everything out immediately. "If it is true, then he'll tell me eventually. And besides, Mavis seems really nice. They look like they really love each other, and shouldn't that be all that matters?"


	5. The Dream

Chapter 5

The Dream

That night Jenna had a dream. A strange woman appeared to her. She looked about the same age as her mother, with dark brown hair. She wore a full length black dress with large sleeves and a choker around her neck with a purple jewel in the middle. She had beautiful blue eyes, and her skin looked identical to Mavis's.

"Who are you?" Jenna asked.

"Why are you so afraid of my Mavis?" The woman had the most beautiful face that Jenna had ever seen, and she looked as if she had never wanted to harm anyone in her life.

"You wouldn't believe me if I told you."

"Try me." Her voice sounded caring, like a mother's. "I am here to tell you the truth."

"I have this suspicion that she isn't human."

"You are correct. There is more to her than meets the eye."

"Funny. That's what Johnny said too. But how do you know that? Who are you?"

The woman opened her mouth widely and exposed her teeth; all of them. This included two small fangs that looked to be razor sharp. "I am Mavis's mother. My name is Martha Lubov Dracula."

Jenna could believe this. Her suspicions had been confirmed. Mavis was a vampire; at least that is what this woman was telling her. "Dracula, as in the vampire Count Dracula from all the books and movies?"

"It's unfortunate that all of that misinformation has been spread about us. But yes, that is my husband."

"Stay away from me," Jenna said in a panic. "You can't suck my blood. I won't let you."

"I promise you, that I will not hurt you. And neither will Mavis or my husband." Jenna appeared to calm down. "I see the boxed set of _Twilight_ on your desk. Tell me, why do you think that we are all like the Draculas portrayed in those books and films, and not like the vampires in those books?"

Martha's words instantly confused Jenna, and she was fighting back tears. "I don't know. I guess I'm just afraid of what I don't understand."

"That's the same reason your ancestor killed me."

"What?!" Jenna was genuinely shocked by this revelation. "What do you mean our ancestor killed you?"

"Your great-great-great-grandfather was the man who killed me. He confronted my husband the next night, but he forgave him. He saw the guilt in his eyes, and knew he was sincerely remorseful."

"But why would Mavis's father let Johnny propose to your daughter?"

"Because the past is in the past. I led your brother to them, because I knew that Johnny was perfect for my Mavis. And the time had long passed for humans and monsters to try and be friendly."

"But I still don't know about this."

"Please, all I ask of you is to give my daughter a fair chance. I suspect that the two of you will become great friends, perhaps as close as sisters if you get to know her."

Jenna began to calm down. All of her words made sense, except for one thing. "You mean that I am descended from the man who killed you?"

"You are, but you have another surprise on your family tree, but it is not my place to disclose it. Seek it out yourself if you wish to know the truth."

"What else could be more shocking than realizing that my brother is going to marry the daughter of someone who one of his ancestors killed?"

"I can tell you that both sides of your family has secrets hidden in its tree. Research your genealogy for answers and I believe that you will be shocked at what you find."

"But why are you telling me all of this?"

"Because your brother and my daughter Zinged, and I know that the two of you can be good friends as well."

Jenna didn't know what Martha was talking about. "Zinged?"

"Fell in love at first sight. It is a deep love that occurs when one finds the one they were meant to spend eternity with."

"Will I find my Zing?"

"Yes. I guarantee it. You just have to be willing to look in places you would never expect to find it."

"Will Mavis have to turn Johnny into one of you?"

"Maybe one day, but I don't think so. The secret in your mother's genealogy will explain everything to you."

"I don't understand."

"All I can say is if they do decide to turn him, he will make a great vampire, as I suspect all of your family would."

"What? How could all of my family become vampires unless," Jenna stopped mid sentence. Could it be that the secret Martha was referring to was that a vampire is in their family tree?

"Will you please promise me that you will give my Mavis a fair chance? I know that she will like you."

"I promise."

"Thank you, Jenna." Martha came close to Jenna, and hugged her. "I promise you that if you give her a fair chance, you will be very close friends. Can I ask you to do one more thing?"

"Yes, ma'am."

"Please tell my daughter that I love her when you two meet."

"Of course I will do that."

"Goodbye, Jenna. I'm glad that we were able to meet."

With that the vision left her head, and Jenna woke up. She said to herself, "Was it just a dream, or was it a premonition? It was so real." Something drew her to her computer. She went to a genealogical website, and began to research all she could. There were not enough records to get to the past on her mother's side, although she did find something interesting on her father's. Her great-great-grandfather immigrated to the United States from Austria-Hungary. She remembered that the region known as Transylvania was part of that empire until after World War I, so that fits. The name on the immigration form was Frederick Loughran, but she couldn't find any information on if this had been his name before that. She would have to dig deeper, but that would have to wait. She had school the next morning.

The next day at school, Jenna couldn't stop thinking about the dream she had the last night. It seemed too real to just be a dream. She couldn't help but think when she looked at the picture of Mavis that the two would be the best of friends if Jenna would only give Mavis a chance. She repeatedly thought to herself, "Why would her mother lie to me about that?" She would keep looking anyway she could to find out the secrets that the woman in her dreams had told her about. She desperately wanted to know. She thought about asking her parents about what they knew, but decided against it. Jenna was now extremely excited to meet her future sister-in-law. She would debate over the next few days whether or not to call Johnny and tell him about her dream, but always decided against it. The dream had told her to wait until they met. A phone call just wouldn't do.

* * *

At the hotel, Jonathan was finishing doing his laundry. His wardrobe was clean for the first time that he could remember since he left home the last time. He and Mavis were finishing packing as they would leave the next night for Hawaii. They were both excited.

Mavis went for a fly with her father. Mavis kept asking Dracula about how he and her mother met, but Dracula kept dodging the question. "But why won't you tell me? What were you both doing in Haweewee?"

"I just can't, my sweet little blood orange. There are things I cannot disclose without permission. Your mother just happened to be there with her best friend on vacation. All I can tell you is that I was there on business."

"So did you two meet like it said in my book?"

A tear came to Dracula's eyes. "Yes. We were flying, and happened to crash into each other. When we locked eyes, that's when we zinged."

"Just like Johnny and I," Mavis gasped.

"Kind of, except neither of us was riding a broom. You two looked as happy with each other as we did. I just wish I would have been as willing to trust him as early as you were. But I would like to know if you knew he was human at first, would you have given him a chance?"

"I don't know. But I'd once heard that you cannot judge a book by its cover."

"What does that mean?"

"It means that you have to get to know someone before you can actually judge them. I'd like to think I would have, but with you lying to me about the village, I don't know if I could have."

"I'm so sorry I lied to you. I was only trying to protect you."

"I know, Daddy, and that's why I love you so much." The two bats landed on the roof, turned back to their vampire forms, and hugged each other.

"Have you talked to Johnny about turning him?"

"Yeah," she had decided to lie to him about this to make him not pester them. "He is not ready right now, but might be later. He is only 21, so if we wait a few years it won't hurt, would it?"

"Not really. Once you turn him, he won't age very much after that, and he would be immortal, so unless he is killed, so he would be able to live with you forever."

Mavis smiled at this. She hated that she had to lie to her father, but was terrified that she might make a mistake if she tried to transform him. If she gained a little more power and experience it might make it easier on both of them. "Dad, can we talk about something else?"

"Of course, Mouse."

Mavis had been having visions of her mother. She wanted to tell her father but didn't know how to. "I have this weird feeling about Johnny's sister, Jenna."

"Is it a good feeling or bad?"

"It feels like that if I give her a chance we will be great friends." Mavis smiled, "I've never really had any girlfriends my age."

"I know, Sweet Fangs, but there were some of Wayne's pups who are close to your age."

"Yeah, but they're both guys. I always wanted a group of girl friends to hang out with, and do things like I have seen on the television with Johnny. Just gossip and hang out."

Dracula changed the subject slightly, "So are you two still going to meet his family?"

"Yes, and I have become excited about it. In seeing pictures of his oldest brother, there is something a little strange."

"In what way?"

"His skin looks a little paler than the others. In almost all the pictures I see, he is wearing makeup to make it look darker. I don't mean that it is as pale as ours, but there is something about him that seems like he might be a friend too."

"Ok, Honeybat. I trust you two about all of it. But you must be careful about how much you tell anyone who is not family. I am still not sure about all of humanity. I read stories about how they hate each other. If they ever united on us, I fear what might happen."

"Did you not learn anything from the Monster Festival? Most of them will be our friends, if both sides are willing to give each other a chance."

"Yes, Mavy, but I just still can't trust all of them."

"We don't expect you to, just give them a fair chance. That is all we can ask."

The two went inside as the sun would be up soon. This was their last full night together. Johnny still hadn't completely decided how he would ask Mavis, but knew he wanted to do it to music. He thought they could dance, and midway thru a song he'd ask. But what song. He had several possibilities in his head. "I'll probably make up my mind when I'm ready to do it."

Johnny was in his room, and Mavis knocked on his door. "How you doing, Johnny?"

"Just finishing getting packed." He had his phone out, and had music going.

"Those songs sound very sweet." Johnny always knew how to pick songs Mavis would like.

"Just think, in about 36 hours, we'll be in Hawaii."

"I know Johnny. And I can't wait."

Johnny got lost in her eyes again. He thought to himself, "And I can't wait to show you the surprise I have for you."

 **Author's note** : Guys, I have a request. I would like to have a Beta review my writing of the proposal scene, as I would like someone else's opinion on it. Anyone interested, please PM me. Thank you.


	6. First Flight

Author's Note: Special thanks go to my new beta reader, coolstuff.

Chapter 6

First Flight

The night of Mavis and Jonathan's departure had finally arrived. They were both excited for it, although Jonathan was also a bit nervous about the proposal. He was sure that he loved Mavis with all of his heart, but was scared that she wouldn't want to marry him. He thought back to a few nights ago when she slammed him to the bed, thinking that if she was ready to be intimate with him, then the time was right to propose.

Mavis couldn't sleep very much the day before. She kept looking at pictures of Hawaii on Jonathan's phone. This would be her first time away from the hotel without her father, well except for visiting the fake village. The three of them had visited a few villages around the hotel after the Monster Festival. Almost everyone they met was friendly, although they did catch a few worried glances coming their way.

Mavis couldn't resist waking Jonathan up, nudging him shortly before sunset. "Hey, Johnny. Did you sleep well?"

"Not bad." He glanced at his alarm clock. They still didn't need to leave for almost 3 hours for the flight. "You're up early."

"I couldn't sleep. I'm so excited, and I wanted to talk to you about what to expect."

"Let me take a shower and get dressed. I'll meet you in the restaurant as soon as I'm done."

"Okay Johnny." Said Mavis as she left his room and headed downstairs. The sun was still up, but the sky had turned a beautiful red color, and something reminded her of an old quote she heard Johnny use at this time of day, repeating it to herself, 'Red sky at night, sailor's delight.' Her expression grew even happier when all of her aunts and uncles had come to the hotel to see her off.

"Sweetie, are you excited about tonight?" Wanda asked her.

"More than I can put into words. I can't believe that the night is finally here. By the end of the day, I'll be in Hawaii." Everyone was surprised she actually said the name correctly.

"There is one other thing we need to talk about," Dracula said sternly to his daughter.

"What's that, Daddy?"

"You mustn't reveal that you are a vampire to anyone, except Jonathan's family without telling me first. If Jonathan thinks that we can trust them to keep the secret, that's fine, but I need to know before you do."

"I promise, Dad. No one, except for Johnny's family, will find out." Mavis didn't mention to him that they also were thinking about telling Johnny's best friend the truth as well, and maybe his sister. His friend's sister and Jenna were the best of friends, and she really liked _Twilight_ also. Jenna had debated telling them about Mavis already, but decided against it.

Johnny came down a few minutes later. Everyone was excited to see him as well. He had become friends with almost all of Mavis's extended family. Eunice was still guarded around him, and Griffin was still mad at him for putting his hand in his mouth to see if it would disappear, but other than those two he was good friends with all the others. Frank still treated him like a cousin, even though Dracula had lied about that when they met. Jonathan kept thinking that his father would probably like most of the guys, and he knew his mother would love Wanda. He saw a lot of his mother in Wanda, almost like they were the same person. He was hopeful that during the summer, some of his family would come to the hotel as Jonathan had no idea how quickly Mavis and he would get married. He considered eloping while home, but had quickly dismissed that idea. The first time he even thought about it he said, "Drac would kill me if I brought Mavy back and we were already married."

Jonathan knew that he and Mavis needed to discuss some other things about the trip, but they would wait until they were on their way to Brasov. This was the time for saying goodbye to all of their friends.

The whole of Mavis's extended family shared a meal of omelets and worm-cakes, while Jonathan simply had a bowl of cereal. He never liked to have a large meal before he traveled, the reason being that he would be able to enjoy some of the local delicacies at the airports and other travel hubs. After the meal, all of Mavis's aunts and uncles gave her hugs, and Wanda gave Johnny a goodbye kiss on the forehead as well.

With that, Mavis and Jonathan headed outside to their awaiting hearse. They saw a floating pair of glasses behind the wheel, and weren't surprised that Griffin was driving. However, they were both shocked to see Dracula in the passenger seat.

"Dad, what are you doing?" asks Mavis.

"What, I can't see my Little Mouse on her way?"

Jonathan was glaring at Dracula. He had a suspicion that if Drac could have, then he would have accompanied them on the whole trip. Finally Jonathan said, "Mavy, it's cool."

The ride from the hotel to Brasov took about an hour. Jonathan saw the look on Dracula's face change from one of sending his daughter out into the world, to one that was terrified of what she would find. As they pulled into the train station, Dracula turned to Mavis and asked, "Are you sure that you really want to go?"

Jonathan shot Dracula one of the dirtiest looks he had ever given to anyone. He mumbled under his breath, "You're gonna pick now to put the kibosh on my plans to propose to her." If looks could kill, Dracula would be in trouble from the one he was getting.

Mavis finally broke the awkward silence. "Yes, Daddy. I am sure. I can't wait to see Hawaii and Johnny's family."

This was the answer that Dracula was expecting, but still he had secretly hoped that as the time to leave approached, she would change her mind. "Ok, Sweet Fangs. I hope you two have a great time." And with that, Dracula gave Mavis a goodbye kiss while Jonathan gave goodbye handshakes to Griffin and Dracula. The couple disappeared into the train station.

Mavis had never seen such a busy place. Johnny saw the look of amazement in her eyes telling her, "This is nothing. You should see Atlanta's airport." He held her close as they approached the counter to check in for their train ride to Bucharest.

An elderly woman was at the counter. She asked them for their names and they gave them. She was a little surprised when Mavis spoke her last name, but didn't think much of it. The bigger shock was seeing someone who looked native with someone who was so obviously an American. She helped them check in baggage, and directed them to the track they would board from before wishing them a pleasant trip.

Jonathan looked at his watch and realized they still had almost an hour before they needed to board. He turned to Mavis and asked, "You wanna do some sightseeing here?" She nodded at him. "I always wanted to check out the 'Black Church'

"Why would a church be black?"

"That's just its name, Mavy," Johnny said laughing. "I could never find out why it is called that."

The architecture of the church reminded her of the hotel, which saddened her slightly. She didn't think that the hotel would be that hard to forget. They entered it without incident, which surprised Jonathan a little. He worried with Mavis being a vampire, she wouldn't be able to go into churches and other holy sites, but he was glad this wasn't the case. "I'm gonna have to show you the Vatican at some point," he added as Mavis just nodded her head. If all went well on this trip, this would be the beginning of them globe-hopping, in addition to being engaged.

Jonathan's phone began buzzing as their needed to begin to head back to the train station. Their train would board in about 20 minutes, and it was a good 10 minute walk back. Mavis looked around the city in amazement. She couldn't believe all that her father had tried to shelter her from but she was now in awe of it. Even though it was almost 10PM, the city was still alive. Shops and restaurants were open, and several people, out of nothing more than being kind, wished them a pleasant evening.

They returned to the station and had to wait about another 5 minutes for the train in order to begin boarding. Once they were seated, Johnny began telling Mavis what he had hoped to in the hearse. "Now Mavis, you may be asked to do some things you may not want to at the airport. They have rules for security that we're just going to have to follow." Jonathan thought how absurd they were, as Mavis could be more dangerous than any other threat that could possible affect an airplane. "We're just gonna have to roll with them."

"Ok, Johnny. I will."

"And some of the people asking you to do it might not be the nicest in the world, but please understand it is their job. We have to do what they ask."

"What if I could hypnotize them?"

"That might help, but you can't do that yet, can you?"

"I don't know. I don't think so, but I could try."

"No, Mavy. Besides, your dad pulled some strings and got you a diplomatic passport, so you shouldn't have any issues." Jonathan still didn't know how he pulled that one off, but for her first trip internationally, it would help. "I'll just deal with whatever I have to. Besides when the customs officers see us together, I doubt they'll say much to me, anyways."

"Ok, Johnny."

"Remember, everything that we will be asked to do is for our safety." Yet again Jonathan chuckled because Mavis could easily stop any hijacker.

The ride to Bucharest took almost 3 hours. Mavis just stared out the window in awe the whole way, especially when they came into small towns. She kept wondering why her father tried to hide all of this from her.

About halfway through their ride, a young couple sat across from them, and engaged them in polite conversation. Although Mavis kept her mouth narrow, the woman could tell she was hiding something, as she couldn't quite see a reflection in the window. Eventually the two men went to the dining car to get refreshments for the ladies. The woman asked Mavis, "So what's up with that?" She said pointing to the window. Mavis began to get a little worried, but was reassured by the woman when she said, "You can tell me. I swear, I won't tell anyone. Not even my husband."

"You promise you won't freak out?" Mavis asked and the woman nodded. Mavis opened her mouth exposing her fangs, then whispering, "I'm a vampire."

The woman looked surprised, but was true to her word. She acted calm, asking, "You're not gonna hurt anyone here, are you?" Mavis shook her head. "Then, why would I freak out?"

Mavis was happy that she found a new friend and gave her a card for the hotel. Mavis said to her, if they were ever looking for a different kind of vacation, that the hotel would be a great adventure as they would meet many monsters, and most of them were as friendly as she is.

After the couple disembarked the train, Mavis turned to Jonathan and said, "They seem really nice."

Johnny noticed that Mavis had a look on her face like she had just found a new friend. He was a little nervous that Mavis may have told her. "You didn't, did you?" He whispered to her.

"Maybe," Mavis said trying to hide it. "But she didn't get scared or anything. She just kept talking to me like I was a normal person. I loved it."

"But your dad"

Mavis cut him off, "My dad isn't here. I'm gonna do what I wanna do. It's my vacation, too!" She started looking at Johnny with those hungry eyes again. "Besides, I've heard rumors of a club I want to join," she said in a sultry voice.

Jonathan gulped loudly. He knew what she was referring to, but knew that Drac would kill him if they did. "Not yet, Mavy. I'm still not ready."

Mavis let out an annoyed sigh. "Oh, Johnny. Will you ever grow up?"

Johnny thought to himself, "If you only knew what I had planned, you wouldn't ask that." He did lean over and kiss her. "Not yet, but soon. I promise you."

When they arrived at Bucharest, they took a taxi to the airport. The ride only lasted a few minutes, but Mavis loved every minute of it. She had never seen such a big city; Bucharest made Brasov look like a little hamlet.

Upon arriving at the airport, they stepped to the front counter. As Johnny had told her, security made her remove her shoes, and also ran something over her body. Johnny was put through a more thorough inspection because he looked like a foreigner, but he was cleared as well. They reunited on the other side of the security line. Mavis questioned the need for it, but Johnny told her that it was for their safety. They boarded their first plane shortly after that for the three hour flight to London.

Mavis couldn't believe how fast the plane was going when they took off. She could fly at about 100 miles per hour (160 KM/H), but it was obvious to her that this metal bird was flying way faster than that. She was amazed at how it felt; as the plane vibrated violently and she could feel the thrust of the engines, and then all of a sudden, nothing. When the plane took off, it felt as they were gliding, which they of were. She let out a few tears at this. Johnny saw it, and immediately put his arm around her, giving her a small kiss on the cheek. "You ok, Mavy?" He asked.

"Never better." This time she gave him a kiss.

Those three hours of the flight went by too fast. Mavis had so many questions, even more than Johnny could answer. By the time she could feel them descending, she couldn't believe this experience was over. Yes, she knew they would repeat this a few times on their trip, but nothing could compare to the first time flying. It was one of the reasons she so wanted to turn Johnny, so he could experience flight. But she knew that it would ultimately be his decision, as she would support whatever he wanted. But first she would have to find the courage to tell him.

Landing was even more of an experience. Even though Johnny had told her what to expect, she couldn't believe how rough it was when the wheels hit the pavement again, then the feeling that her body would be flung forward from her seat as the brakes were applied, it was all over. Now all that was left for this leg of their journey was to exit the plane and wait for the next one.

They would have about an hour before their transoceanic flight to New York, and Johnny was now ready for a meal. He warned her about English food, "It's not very good. But when it's all you have, then it's ok." They ended up at a burger chain. Mavis devoured hers, and then ordered a second quarter pound hamburger, which was also devoured. It was one of the best things she had ever tasted. The combination of the hot meat, cheese, and cold vegetables on top tasted great together.

Just as they finished eating, Johnny's phone buzzed, warning them that they had only 15 minutes to get to their gate. He had wanted to run with her through the terminal, but knew that would be risky, especially if she got to top speed. They ended up walking briskly, but still made it with plenty of time to spare. They boarded the plane to New York, a new continent awaiting.

Johnny kept thinking along the way, "a new future awaiting. Maybe soon as husband and wife." A large smile crossed his face as he sat in his seat waiting takeoff.


	7. Hawaii

Chapter 7

Hawaii

The flight from London to New York was longer than their first flight, taking about 8 hours. It wasn't as exciting for Mavis as the first flight, but she still enjoyed it. The sun had risen by the time they landed in New York, but it wouldn't be a problem for them. Mavis was not affected by sunlight through closed windows. There was a meal served on the plane, but it wasn't very good. Mavis just sipped on her bottle of Blood Beaters, while Johnny picked at his meal.

When they arrived at the terminal at JFK entering customs, Mavis flew through. This was the reason they had chosen to fly into the United States at New York; with her having a diplomatic passport, there was only a slight check of her baggage. They didn't even look at the cartons of liquid that were her Blood Beaters. Johnny had a slightly more in depth experience, but since he was a US citizen, it wasn't that thorough. After clearing customs, they had to take a shuttle to the domestic terminal.

When they got to the other terminal, they had to go through security again. Once again, Mavis flew through with flying colors, while Johnny had to go thru "enhanced screening". He was patted down by a TSA agent while Mavis looked angrily at them. "I don't understand why they had to do that?" asked Mavis the disdain evident in her voice.

Jonathan replied chuckling, "It's just the way it is sometimes. You just gotta roll with it. But, I can't remember the last time I had to go thru that."

"That's because you've been at the hotel for the last seven months," Mavis said laughing.

Johnny just laughed it off. "Anyway, now that that's over, I have been dying for a slice of pizza. You hungry?"

"Famished," Mavis said, even though her stomach had outed this a long time ago. "But what's pizza?"

"It's an Italian food on flat bread covered with tomato sauce and cheese. Then they can put all sorts of toppings on it." He thought guiltily about it, "I don't know about that, Mavy. It might have too much garlic on it for you."

"I'm willing to try it." They went to a pizzeria in the airport's food court and ordered a pepperoni pizza with as little garlic as possible. Mavis took a small bite, and absolutely loved it. "Johnny, this is delicious. I've never had anything this good in my life."

Johnny smiled at Mavis and was relieved that she liked it and could eat it. "I'm glad. It's one of those things that I love, but you just can't get a good pizza in Transylvania."

As soon as they finished eating, Jonathan's phone began to buzz again. They needed to get to their gate for their flight to Los Angeles. While they were walking, he texted his sister so she could let the family know they had made it to the States.

The flights were uneventful, and even Mavis saw it as getting slightly mundane. She couldn't believe that something she was so enthralled by a few hours ago, seemed like another boring activity.

When their last flight began to approach Hawaii, she felt excited again. The sights were breathtaking. The deep blue water enchanted her, and so did the lush forests and tall mountains. It looked like everything one could see on earth was captured on this one small island. Johnny saw the look on her face, and wrapped an arm around her, pulling her close. "Like what you see, babe?"

"Oh, Johnny. It's beautiful."

"Not as beautiful as you." Mavis loved hearing it, but Jonathan thought it was just a little corny.

By the time they landed and claimed all their baggage, the sun was about to set. They could stay under an awning while they caught a taxi to their hotel, which was able to pull under a canopy so Mavis wasn't in the sunlight. On the ride, Mavis caught a glimpse of the sunset, and knew that Johnny was right about it. It was breathtaking.

They checked into their room, and headed down for the beach. Mavis couldn't believe all of the smells coming from the ocean. It felt heavenly on her skin. That was until some water entered her mouth. She never liked salty foods, and when she tasted the saltwater she almost gagged on it.

The couple spent most of the rest of the night simply holding each other close on the beach. Neither of them wanted the night to end. Everything was just so perfect. Johnny kept thinking, "Just wait for tomorrow. I know you think it's perfect now, but you wanted to do it on your parents' anniversary." He looked at his phone, thinking again, "Just 20 more hours. Just wait until after midnight tonight." He was fighting a losing battle. The only thing that saved him, was that the ring was still inside his suitcase in the hotel."

The couple returned to their room shortly before sunrise. Johnny had told the staff that they would be in the room for most of the day, and out mostly at night. The hotel could accommodate night owls. They would clean their room every other night.

Mavis opened her first full carton on Blood Beaters and began to sip it before going to bed. This would be the first time they shared a bed. Jonathan hoped he could control himself, as he nearly had given into the desire to be intimate with Mavis before. He knew he needed to wait. If Mavis lost control, he might just give in, but he wouldn't start it. He knew the time was almost right, and it wasn't out of the question that it had already arrived. But he remembered something his mother told him. A gentleman will wait for his love forever.

Before Jonathan went to sleep, he was just looking at Mavis, lost in her eyes. He started stroking her hair. He knew that he wanted to be with her forever. "Mavis," he started to whisper, "I want you to," but stopped when he saw Mavis.

A troubled look came into Mavis's eyes. She feared that Jonathan was going to ask her to turn him, even though her father hadn't told her how to yet. She was certain that she wanted to be with Jonathan forever.

He continued, "I love you more than I can ever say, and I want to be with you forever." He leaned in close, and kissed her. They were both inside each other's mouth tasting the wild passion inside; Jonathan's mouth warm, while Mavis's was cold. They were both lost in the moment, and it could have gone anywhere. That's when Jonathan's phone rang. He thought, "Saved by the bell."

His phone continued ringing. Whoever was calling was determined to talk to him. Finally Mavis asked, "You gonna answer that?" The romantic mood had been quashed.

Jonathan looked down at his phone, and saw it was his sister. He turned to Mavis and said, "She always did have great timing," the sarcasm evident in his voice, although it appeared that Mavis didn't understand. He went out on the balcony to answer. In truth, he was relieved that his sister had called, as he was unsure how far they would have went if she had not. "Hi, sis," he answered sounding slightly annoyed.

"Hey, Johnny. I'm not interrupting anything, am I?"

"Not really. What's up?"

"How's Hawaii?"

"Same as last time. Beautiful."

"Great. Have you asked Mavis yet?"

"Not yet. I'm trying to hold out until after midnight tonight, but I don't know if I can."

"Oh, that's sweet. Proposing on our parent's anniversary."

"Yeah. If you hadn't called, I might have done it already."

"I'm sorry," Jenna said with pain evident in her voice. "Listen, Katie would like to come with to get you guys from the airport. Is that Ok?"

He thought for a moment. Katie was his best friend's little sister and also a friend of Jenna's. "What about her parents? Are they cool with it being a school night?"

"She has better grades than I do. They'll let her do anything she wants."

"I think it'll be ok, but let me ask Mavis."

"Ok, Johnny. See you Wednesday night."

"Bye, sis." They hung up. Jonathan went inside to ask Mavis about it.

"It's fine with me Johnny. We might tell her anyway, so why not let her meet me right away? And besides, you trust her, right?"

"Yeah, but she was the first girl I ever had a crush on. I don't want you to,"

Mavis shot him a dirty look. "You think I'd get jealous over you?" Jonathan looked hurt by this. "I didn't mean that. I'm sorry. There was nothing ever anything between you two, right?"

"No. She was never old enough."

"Then it's fine, Johnny. I know you're my zing, and that's all the guarantee I need."

"Thanks, Mavy. Now let's get some sleep." He had a smile on his face suggesting he was hiding something. "Tomorrow's gonna be a great night with lots of surprises. I know it."

"What do you have planned, Johnnystein?"

"You'll just have to wait to find out."

Mavis looked into his eyes, trying to hypnotize him, but it wouldn't work. He just got lost in them again, but she couldn't make him reveal his secret. "You're just gonna have to wait, Mavy. But trust me, it'll be worth the wait. I know it." The two shared one last kiss goodnight before laying down and falling asleep.

Jonathan woke slightly after noon, and went to see the concierge. He was asking for advice on a memorable way to propose. Finally, it was suggested that the best place to do it would be on the beach, maybe wading in the water. Johnny loved the idea, and thanked the man. He also had arranged for them to go to a luau, then returned to their room and went back to bed.

Mavis woke about an hour before the sun would set, and watched the television. She had never seen so many options in her life. Something drew her to cartoons, as if she had never seen such gifted artwork before. Even the artwork in the book her mother gave her couldn't compare to this. About an hour later, Johnny woke up. "Hey, Johnny."

"Good evening, Mavy."

"So what are we doing tonight? You promised me a great one."

Well, about that," he said sounding extremely nervous, "We're gonna go to a traditional Hawaiian luau."

"What's that?"

"It's a party. They'll be food and dancing, but they're mostly done for tourists now. Then I figured we can go back to the beach again."

"I've already seen the beach. I want to see more of the island."

"Trust me, honey, you're gonna wanna see the beach tonight," he said winking at her. "I guarantee it."

"Johnny, what are you up to?"

"You'll just have to wait, but I know that you will love it." Johnny thought to himself "at least I hope you do."

Mavis enjoyed the luau. She couldn't believe the sounds of the drums and the dancing. Johnny tried to talk Mavis into trying the hula dancing, but she didn't want to. "What if someone tries to take my picture?" She whispered to him.

"Sorry, Mavy. I didn't even think of that, but I'm still going to do it."

"Have fun."

Johnny got into the skirt, and began to shake his hips. Mavis laughed at him, until he saw one of the hula girls get a little closer than she would have liked her to, and Johnny had a large smile on his face. Mavis wasn't sure if the smile was from him dancing or from the girl, but either way, Mavis got jealous.

When Jonathan finished dancing, he turned to Mavis and said, "Man that was fun. I'd never done that before."

Mavis let the jealousy go. She knew he had to have meant the dancing. Jonathan turned to Mavis and kissed her, completely quelling her suspicions. "I'm glad you enjoyed it, and it looked like a lot of fun. We'll have to have a luau at the hotel." She thought for a second before adding, "Could you imagine Dad in that skirt?" They both burst out laughing at the thought.

"Yeah, that would be fun." Jonathan looked at his phone as the luau ended. It was 11:30. Only a half hour more to stall. "Why don't we walk back to the hotel? It's such a beautiful night."

"That's sounds romantic, Johnny. A walk under the stars with my Zing." Mavis was now certain that Johnny had something planned. She noticed that he had carried something in his pocket since they left, but she wasn't quite sure what it is. The two arrived at the beach shortly after midnight. It was time.

Johnny texted his sister as they arrived. "Well sis, it's go time. Wish me luck." His phone buzzed a minute later, but he wouldn't check it. Johnny took one last deep breath to try and calm his nerves. Then he looked deep into Mavis's eyes. "The time had come," he thought. He led Mavis to a secluded spot, with them having their feet in the water under a clear blue night sky with an almost full moon.

"Mavy, you wanna dance?" Jonathan asked

"I'd love to."

He pulled out his phone and played _I Can't Hold Back_ by Survivor. They danced to the first two verses, then Jonathan sang along to the bridge and chorus.

"Can you feel me tremble when we touch  
Can you feel that hand of fate  
Reaching out to both of us  
This love affair can't wait  
I can't hold back  
I'm on the edge  
I can't hold back  
You're voice explodes inside my head" Jonathan separated from Mavis's grip, and dropped to a knee. He fumbled around in his pocket before pulling out the ring box.

"Johnny, what are you doing," Mavis said with tears starting to fill her eyes as she had guessed what he was up to.

Jonathan resumed singing, "I can't hold back  
I won't back down  
Mavis it's too late to turn back now." Then speaking softly, but excitedly he said, "Mavis, would you make me the happiest man in the world?" He opened the box, exposing the white gold banded ring with two sapphires and a diamond. Mavis's eyes were know completely filled with tears as her suspicions were correct. "Mavis Dracula, will you marry me?"

Mavis was unable to respond for a few seconds. Finally, she nodded her head, before gaining the ability to shout, "Yes! Yes, Jonathan I will!"

"Awesome," Jonathan shouted as he rose and placed the ring on Mavis's left hand.

"It fits perfectly," Mavis said with tears still coming from her eyes. The two embraced and shared their first kiss as fiancées, with tears spilling over from both of their eyes. "You weren't kidding when you said I'd want to see the beach."

Jonathan then took a selfie of them together, highlighting the ring on Mavis's finger. He sent it to his sister with a text that said, "She said 'yes'!"


	8. Meeting Jenna

Chapter 8

Meeting Jenna

The rest of the week in Hawaii couldn't compare to the first two nights. There wasn't much that Johnny could see at night, but they did explore some of the island. Mavis went out by herself on the fourth night, flying around the island as a bat. Johnny had wanted to come too, but it would be too risky for her to carry him. If someone spotted a bat carrying a person, it would be too suspicious, so Jonathan stayed behind at the hotel.

During Mavis's flight, she decided that she had to tell Johnny about turning him. He needed to be aware that it was an option, even if he wouldn't want to do it. She had fantasized about the two of them being able to fly together, but ultimately it would have to be his decision.

Mavis returned to the hotel about an hour before the sun would rise. It hurt her that she had to see the island alone. Johnny tried to comfort her by telling her that he had seen most of it on his last trip there, but that helped only slightly. She started to try and tell him about the island.

"Johnny," Mavis said excitedly, "I can't believe how beautiful this place is."

"I know, Mavy," Johnny said trying to make her feel better. "But I wouldn't be able to see it like you could now. That had to be sweet seeing everything from the air."

That one statement made Mavis feel even worse with the way Johnny put it. She was tempted to tell him about turning him now, but she knew she should wait. Just then something drew Johnny's attention away from Mavis.

Johnny headed outside to the balcony. He had noticed that the moon had all of a sudden turned almost blood red. "Sweet, a lunar eclipse!" Johnny shouted. "I haven't seen one of these since I was still in school." Mavis came out to see what Johnny was talking about. The two watched it for the next few minutes as the moon darkened slightly. "That's one of the most beautiful things in the world, except for you, Mavy." Johnny leaned in close to Mavis and kissed her.

Mavis wasn't as well versed in nature as Johnny was, so she asked, "What's a lunar eclipse?"

"It's when the Earth gets in between the sun and the moon. They're rare because you have to be on the right place on the planet to see it," Jonathan explained.

The two held each other for the remainder of the night. He felt that he was ready to be intimate, so Johnny was tempted to go further. Mavis wasn't acting like she wanted to, so he would just cuddle with her. They would leave for California the next day. Unfortunately their flight would leave at 2:00PM. This would be the first time that they would be trying to have Mavis in the sun. She would have a hat, umbrella, and be wearing sunblock on her arms and legs. Johnny was glad that they wouldn't have to leave covered places. Also, the weather called for a chance of rain so the fact there'd be cloud cover would help also.

Mavis couldn't sleep. She kept thinking about how she could tell Jonathan what she wanted to tell him. Her father already thought that she had told him, but Jonathan wasn't ready to do it. Finally about an hour after Johnny fell asleep, she decided to call her father.

When Dracula answered the phone, he was ecstatic to hear her voice. "Hello Devil Chops," he said excitedly into the phone, "how is Hawaii?"

"It's beautiful. I got to fly around last night, and I can't believe how great it is. It looks like everything on the Earth is here on this one island."

"Anything exciting happen?" Dracula asked even though he knew the answer.

Mavis thought her father didn't know about Johnny proposing, so she tried to hide it. "Oh, not much. We just spent a lot of time at the beach, did some sightseeing, got engaged, and went to a luau."

"Congratulations, Mavy. I'm happy for the both of you!"

Mavis was shocked that her father picked up on what she was trying to hide. "Did you know?"

Dracula laughed at the question. "Yes, mouse," he said while still chuckling. "He asked me for my permission about a week before you left."

"But why would he have to ask you?"

"Some tradition in the human world." Dracula thought for a moment, and knew this couldn't be the reason that she had called him. "I'm glad to hear from you, but why did you call, Honeybat?"

Mavis was surprised that her father knew something was troubling her, but she knew that she shouldn't hide things from him. "It's just," she started to say nervously, "I want to know how to turn someone."

"So is Jonathan ready?" he asked eagerly.

"Not yet, but I think the time may be closer than I thought it was."

In a stern, but caring voice, Dracula said, "Mavy, tell me the truth. You haven't told him about it yet, have you?"

Once again Mavis couldn't believe that something she was trying to hide from him was discovered. "How did you know that?" Mavis asked almost panicked with the words falling off as she finished the question.

"Because I know how much Jonathan loves you. He would do anything to be with you for eternity, even if he had to give up everything he loves about being human now. I was the same way with your mother; I'd give up anything for her."

Mavis began to cry. "Daddy, I'm afraid of doing something wrong if we try it. I don't want to hurt him."

Dracula let out a sigh thru the phone. "Coffin Cake, Jonathan wouldn't put you thru that. If you're not ready to do it, then he won't make you."

"Can you just tell me what I would have to do? Would I have to bite him?"

Dracula hated that Mavis would have to hear this, but he knew that she needed to. "Yes," he said softly, but firmly, "you will. But that is not the most dangerous part. You will need to remove enough of his blood to remove his humanity. After that you have to inject him with some of your venom."

Mavis was confused. She didn't know that vampires even produced venom. Her voice trembled a bit as she asked, "What do you mean venom?"

"That's the dangerous part, but it is what initiates the transformation. Your fangs will inject a toxic venom. In humans it will not kill them, unless you force a lot of it into them. If you are trying to transform someone, you cannot try to force it; you must allow it to passively flow. With the limited amount of blood he would have, forcing it can be deadly. It will take some time to explain, which is why you must wait until you get back here before you two even think about trying it. The witches here know how to counter it if you give him too much. I beg you, Sweet Fangs. You have to wait."

"I promise, Daddy. We'll wait."

"What made you change your mind?"

"I was able to fly around the island, but I had to do it alone. I wanted so much for Johnny to come with, but he couldn't."

"Mavy, just promise me one thing. Don't regret your choices."

"I won't, but I don't want Johnny to regret his."

"He won't. He loves you." The two exchanged goodbyes and hung up. Mavis was still in tears about what her father said; that Jonathan might have to give up some of the things he loves about being human to be with her.

When Mavis crawled into the bed, Johnny woke up. He noticed her tears and softly said, "What's wrong, Mavy?"

"Nothing," she said sounding slightly irritated. "Everything's fine; I'm just nervous about meeting your family.

Johnny held her close. "Don't be Mavis. I know they'll love you." He kissed her on the forehead.

"But what if they don't?"

"Then I don't want to see them again." Mavis looked even sadder from this. She remembered again what her father had said about turning him; that he might have to give up things to do it, but what would she have to sacrifice? "The only one I really care about is my sister, and I know Jenna will love you."

"I hope so Johnny," Mavis said still unsure of it. "I just hope so."

Back in Santa Cruz, Jenna had just finished school. She knew that she should take a nap if she wouldn't be back home until after midnight. When she fell asleep, Martha appeared to her in a dream again. Yet again, in a compassionate voice Martha said, "I meant every word I told you. Give Mavis a chance and you two can be like sisters."

Jenna smiled widely at this. "I will. I promise, and I will remember to tell her about you."

Martha hugged Jenna again, then asked her, "Do you wish to become a vampire also?"

Jenna was surprised by the question; it had completely caught her off guard. She finally stuttered out, "I don't know. I mean some parts could be cool, but I'd have to think about it. Why?"

Martha looked upset as if she exposed more than she should have. "No reason."

"Could you make me one?" Jenna asked perhaps a little too excited.

"No," Martha answered sadly, "as much as I would love to see you and Johnny as vampires, I couldn't. I am only a spirit. It is possible that Mavis could, but please do not ask her now."

"I won't." Jenna was disappointed in the way Martha put it, almost as if Mavis might think that Jenna was using her. "Can I ask you one more thing?"

"Of course, Jenna."

"The secret in my ancestry, is it that we have a vampire in our past?" Jenna still couldn't find any information past about 5 generations on their mother's side.

"Do you suspect there is?"

"With what you said last time, that Johnny wouldn't have to be turned, and we'd all make good vampires; what else could explain everything?"

"Jenna, you are very intelligent. I cannot believe that you put all of the clues together." A smile came over Martha as she was about to expose the secret that Jenna wanted to know. "Yes, Jenna, you do. He is 10 generations back on your mother's side, and was a friend of mine. I cannot tell you any more than that, but I hope that you find out more when the time is right."

"Thank you, ma'am."

With that Jenna awoke and began to think about everything that Martha told her. Martha had asked her to keep everything a secret with her ancestor. Jenna kept thinking to herself why she should have to hide this from Johnny and Mavis.

The flight from Hawaii to Oakland was a little bit of a disappointment for Johnny. He was returning home, and was nervous what his family would think of his new fiancée. Mavis on the other hand was excited. She knew she couldn't wait to meet Jenna, and there was something drawing her to Johnny's oldest brother, Brett.

Jenna and her friend Katie stood holding a sign that said "Mavis and Johnny" by the baggage claim exit. The four met shortly after 10:30PM and exchanged greetings. Jenna would have to wait to reveal what she had found out from her dreams until her and Mavis could speak privately. Luckily, an opportunity would present itself sooner than she thought.

Upon climbing into the car Jenna had brought, Katie and Johnny sat together in the back seat. Katie was curious to see his pictures and also talk to him about his trip. That meant Mavis and Jenna were together in the front.

Shortly after getting through San Jose, Johnny and Katie both fell asleep. That provided the opportunity Jenna hoped for to tell Mavis some of what she had been told. Jenna spoke softly so as to not wake up the two in the back, "You're even prettier than the picture."

A smile came over Mavis's face, and she accidentally exposed her fangs slightly. She assumed that since Jenna was driving that she didn't see them, though. "Thanks, Jenna. I've got this feeling that we can be very good friends."

"I'd like that," Jenna whispered. She wasn't sure if she should tell Mavis about her dreams of not, but finally decided to do it. "That's what your mother told me, too."

A concerned look came over Mavis, as she said softly, but scared, "How did you meet my mom? She died when I was a baby."

"I saw her in one of my dreams. She said that if I gave you a chance we could be like sisters, and I hope she is telling the truth. I really like you, Mavis. I get the feeling you are special."

Mavis was now debating telling Jenna about herself. Just then Mavis saw a sign on the side of the highway. It said "Santa Cruz City Limits". They were coming into Johnny's hometown. Mavis turned to Jenna, and told her that they could talk later. Everyone was waiting to meet her, even her soon to be nephew, Troy, despite the fact that it was almost midnight. The family introductions would start soon.


	9. Meeting the Loughrans

Chapter 9

Meeting the Loughrans

The car pulled up to the home about midnight. Katie headed down the street to her home, as she and Jonathan would catch up later. The remaining three went towards the door.

Mavis was nervous, but Jonathan was even more so. Even though it was a cool night, sweat was dripping from his brow. "Don't be scared, Mavy," he whispered to Mavis. She saw the look on his face, and knew he needed the support, so she grabbed his hand as they reached the door.

To Jonathan's surprise, everyone was awake, even Troy, his four year old nephew. All of his brothers came up to him, and asked him about his trip. Mavis and Jenna were still standing behind Jonathan until their sister-in-law, Samantha saw them. "So this must be Mavis," Sam said in a pleased tone. "I have to say, it is really nice to finally get to meet you." Mavis went up to her to shake her hand, but Sam wouldn't allow it. "We're family, or I hope we will be. We don't shake hands; we hug!" The two hugged for a moment, but Mavis made sure to keep her mouth narrow.

After they separated Mavis began stuttering before Jonathan finally face-palmed, and said, "Where are my manners. Everyone, this is Mavis, my," everyone expected him to say girlfriend, but he stuttered out something else, "umm fiancée." Everyone but Jenna was speechless. After a minute, Jonathan grabbed Mavis's left hand showing the ring on her finger.

"Congrats, bro," Jonathan's older brother Kent said. "I can't believe you found your bride before I found mine."

Troy then walked up to Mavis. He looked a little shy, but had a smile on his face. He mumbled something as he walked up, but then tentatively said, "Hi. I'm Troy." Mavis smiled back and waved at him, which made Troy smile wider. He looked closer at Mavis's mouth and let out a small gasp.

Sam went to her son, picking him up. "They'll be plenty of time for you to spend with your new aunt, but it's past time for you to go to bed." Troy started to protest, but yawned shortly after he started. He went up to the room he was using, but didn't fall asleep right away.

The three women surrounded Mavis. Both Sam and Linda hugged Mavis, congratulated her as well. Jenna didn't act surprised like the rest, since Jonathan had told her after it had happened. After the other two women went to Johnny, Jenna came up to Mavis, hugging her and whispered, "I know, and I don't care. I like you, Mavis, like a sister."

Mavis was stunned, and a terrified looked came over her face. She accidentally exposed her fangs for a second.

Jenna smiled at her, and again calmly whispered, "It doesn't matter."

Jonathan was still surrounded by his family, but he saw the look on Mavis's face. He went over to her mouthing the words, "What's wrong?"

Mavis whispered, "We have to talk. Now!" She said the final word almost above a whisper.

Johnny feigned a yawn. "Must be jet lag. I think we're gonna go to bed." He nodded to Mavis, and she also yawned.

"Ok, Johnny," his mother said slightly disappointed. "We can catch up in the morning."

Mavis and Jonathan headed for his bedroom, in which his parents had added an extra bed to for Mavis not expecting that they would be engaged. While still walking down the hall, Jonathan said concerned, "What's wrong, Mavy?"

"She knows," Mavis answered with the panic still evident in her voice. "Jenna knows that I'm a vampire."

The look on Jonathan's face now almost matched hers. "How is that even possible? I mean, I didn't tell her." Johnny thought back to sending her the picture, and he looked at it again. He zoomed in as far as he could, and still couldn't see her fangs or anything else. Then he thought to the picture with the ring. He again zoomed in, still nothing. "How can this be?"

That's when Mavis remembered what Jenna and she had talked about on the ride back. Jenna had met Martha in a dream. "It must have been my mother!" She shouted putting the pieces together.

Johnny was almost more surprised by this revelation as he was asleep on the ride from the airport. "But your mom's been dead for more than 100 years, hasn't she?" The fear still evident in his voice.

"I thought so, but how else could she have known?" Mavis thought for a second before asking Jonathan for his phone. She texted Jenna asking her to come to their room. Jenna arrived about five minutes later, knocking first.

"Hi, sis," Jenna said to Mavis which made her smile wide enough to expose her fangs. When Jenna saw them, she just smiled. "I know, and it doesn't bother me." She thought for a moment before adding, "It's just the reverse of _Twilight_ ," while she was chuckling.

Johnny's mouth still showed the shock he felt, so it would be Mavis who would inquire more. "But, how did you know?"

Jenna was torn about how much to reveal, but knew she probably should tell them everything she knew. "Your mom told me everything. I saw her in a dream the same night you," she said pointing to Jonathan, "sent me the picture. I saw her again this afternoon." Jenna went up to Mavis and hugged her again. "She said that if I gave you a chance, we could be like sisters. I hope she was right, because I really like you Mavis."

Mavis was in tears. She never thought that revealing herself would be so easy, but Jenna now knew while Troy suspected something, and neither of them acted scared at all. She thought that it might be easier that she had feared it would be. Mavis finally was able to speak, "I really like you too, Jenna."

"So, can I ask you some questions about your powers?" Jenna was now completely ignoring that Johnny was in the room and was only talking to Mavis.

"I guess," she said still a little confused about everything.

"What's it like to fly?"

"I can't even describe it. It just feels so freeing, like nothing can stop you."

"So you can turn into a bat?"

"Yes," Mavis said as she closed her eyes and began to concentrate. "It's actually pretty easy after you learn." She thought back to her father's lesson, "You just bend your legs and push off." Mavis transformed in a blue mist and was replaced by a black bat which flew around the room before landing and turning back into her vampire form, once again engulfed in blue mist.

"That's so cool!" Jenna shouted. "What about hypnotizing people?"

"Only me," Johnny interjected.

Mavis smiled at Johnny before saying, "It's an advanced vampire move. I don't even think my dad learned it until he was like 200."

Jenna was surprised by the fact her dad was that old. "How old are you?"

"118."

"So you're like immortal and will never age?"

"No, we age, it's just very slowly."

"Is the sun really bad for you?"

"Yeah, but if I use an umbrella and a hat I can go out. And this guy here," she said pointing to Johnny while she smiled at him, "found out that sunblock works to protect me, too."

"What happens if you go out without them?" Jenna asked almost afraid to hear the answer. "Can it kill you?"

"Maybe, but it really only burns us. My dad was out in it for almost an hour to get him," once again pointing to Johnny as she spoke, "but we heal quickly."

Jenna turned to Johnny with a scowl on her face. "What did you do?" She demanded.

"It's a long story," he answered chuckling. "We'll tell you later.

Jenna relaxed a little. "You guys are gonna be here for a week, right?"

"Yep," Johnny said, "We don't leave for New York on Tuesday, so almost."

"You're planning on telling everyone, right?"

"Eventually, but we want to make sure everyone likes me first," Mavis said still a little nervous about it.

"Well, you don't need to worry about me. And I think Troy already likes you. He just stared at you when he first saw you like he did." The two women hugged again. "So are you gonna try and be up during the day?"

"I'm going to try, but I'm so used to being nocturnal that it might be difficult."

"OK, then. I'll see you tomorrow morning, hopefully, but if not then I'll see you after school." Jenna hugged her brother before she left, leaving the two of them alone.

"That couldn't have gone better!" Mavis shouted. "And I really like her."

"That's great Mavy. But if you're gonna try and get up before she leaves for school, we better try and get some sleep."

"Ok, Johnny."

Troy couldn't sleep right away. There was something about his new aunt that wasn't quite normal, even though he was sure that she was very nice. He thought about it for a few minutes, but eventually fell asleep.

Mavis woke up the next day when the sun was already high in the sky, noticing that Johnny wasn't in the bed. She dressed and went downstairs to the main level of the home, where she found Linda who was finishing dishes from breakfast. Linda heard Mavis come down the stairs and as she entered the kitchen with a smile on her face said, "Good morning." She looked at one of the clocks and corrected herself, "I guess I should say afternoon." The clock said 12:15.

"Hello, ma'am," Mavis replied with a narrow smile on her face.

Linda corrected her, "You can call me Linda, mom, or anything else you would like to, but please don't call me ma'am. It makes me feel old."

"Ok, Mom," it felt weird to call her that, but she went with it. "So where is everyone?"

"Well, Mike and Brett are at work. Johnny and Kent went out for a little, but they should be back soon. And Sam went to the grocery store for me. I needed a few things for dinner tonight; I hope you like meatloaf."

"I love meatloaf," Mavis answered despite the fact she had no idea what it was. "But what about Jenna and Troy?"

"Troy should be home soon, and Jenna is at school." Mavis frowned. She had really hoped to be able to spend more time with Jenna before she left. Linda noticed her reaction and added, "She gets home about three. You really like her, don't you?"

"Yeah," she said excitedly with a smile returning to her face that briefly exposed her fangs even though Linda didn't notice. "I hope we can be like sisters."

Linda smiled widely at the way she phrased it. "I'd like that too. She isn't that close with Sam, but she does love Troy." Linda blushed for a second before asking, "Where are my manners? I didn't ask if you were hungry." Mavis nodded at the question. "Well, I wasn't planning on doing anything for lunch, but there are cold cuts in the fridge," Linda said while pointing at the refrigerator. "Feel free to help yourself."

"Thanks, Mom." Mavis said happily as she moved towards the box. She couldn't believe all the choices inside. She grabbed packages of ham, turkey, and bologna, placing a lot of the sliced meats between two slices of bread. As she sat down to eat, the door opened.

A young voice permeated the home. "Hi, Gamma!"

"Hello my little monster," Linda shouted back. Mavis giggled as she heard the nickname. "How was your day?"

"Good. It was gym day, so we got to play." Mavis was finishing her sandwich when Troy finally walked into the kitchen. He saw Mavis finishing her sandwich, and asked her, "Do you wanna play with me?"

Mavis smiled at the boy and said, "Sure!" She didn't realize that she had just revealed her fangs to him again. "What do you want to play?"

Troy thought for a second before he dragged her into the TV room. He put on a movie and they watched it together. About 20 minutes into it, Sam came home. She looked at her son with Mavis asking, "So he found someone else to watch TV with, huh?"

Mavis simply grinned at the question while she nodded. She noticed it was overcast, so she asked if Sam would like any help.

"That would be great. Thanks." The two women unloaded the groceries and brought them in. Sam accidentally started to drop a carton of eggs, but Mavis was nearby and was able to catch them before they hit the ground. "Nice reflexes!"

Mavis turned a little red as she almost exposed herself. After a few seconds, she said, "Thanks." Mavis thought of how to explain it away. "Yeah, I played a lot of football when I was younger."

"That'll do it." Sam assumed Mavis meant soccer, since she was from Europe.

Troy had seen the whole thing. Mavis moved too fast for even the best of athletes. He suspected there was something different about her from the moment he met her, but couldn't put his finger on it. He ran up to his room, leaving the TV on to look at a book his grandpa had given him for his last birthday about all sorts of legendary and mythological creatures. He flipped thru it, thinking of all the things he noticed about Mavis; fast reflexes, no reflection in mirrors and windows, and the kicker was that she looked to have two larger teeth in her mouth.

As he read thru, there was only one creature that fit all of those traits. "She can't be a vampire!" He shouted quietly. "She's way too nice." He read thru the description of how they acted, and none of them seemed to fit Mavis. Troy kept hoping that he was wrong, but he would have to ask her later about it.

Johnny, Kent, and Jenna all got home about the same time. The boys had gone to see a movie. "Sorry, Mavy. I didn't know if you'd wanna go, and I didn't wanna wake you."

"It's ok. What'd you guys see."

"The new _Transformers_ movie," Kent said. "It was epic cool!"

Johnny pulled his phone and played the trailer for it. Mavis didn't understand anything that she was seeing. "Yeah, that's what Sam thought when she went to the last one," Johnny said.

Jenna just shook her head at the two. She had more to tell Mavis, but couldn't at the time. It was almost 3:30, and her brother and father would be home soon. She had plenty of time to tell her everything.

Dinner was served about an hour later. It was meatloaf, mashed potatoes, green beans, and biscuits. It tasted ok to Mavis, but the meatloaf was a little salty for her liking. She was polite and tried everything. The biscuit was by far her favorite; so soft on the inside. She whispered to Johnny, "This would be great with some scream cheese." Jonathan chuckled at what she had said.

As they were eating Mike said, "Jenna, would you be willing to babysit on Saturday?"

"Yeah, why?"

"Well, I thought that your mom and I would celebrate our anniversary. Your brother is DJ'ing a couple's dance at the bar, so I thought all of us would go."

"Sure," Jenna said, "You guys have a great time."

"Sounds like fun," Mavis added. Everyone else agreed with her.

After dinner Johnny and Mavis went to their room. Mavis was concerned about going out in public. She was pacing on the ceiling. "What if everyone there finds out?"

"Mavy, don't worry about it. We'll find a way to deal with it if it does." Johnny went out the room for a minute. Mavis was horrified when the door opened, but it wasn't Johnny.

"What are you doing?" A young boy's voice asked timidly.

Mavis couldn't speak as she jumped down. When she landed she noticed it was Troy. "I was just thinking about" but Mavis mumbled off after that.

"Can I ask you something?" Troy asked scared, but Mavis nodded giving him a little courage. "What's it like to fly?"

Mavis couldn't say anything. She couldn't believe that the first one besides Jenna to know, would be her four year old nephew. "I can't fly," she said so unconvincingly that even Troy knew she was lying.

"Please don't be mad, but I know you're a vampire."

* * *

 **Author's Note:** Please review, even if you didn't like it. I find those are the most helpful, but please be constructive in your criticisms. Also, any plot ideas are also appreciated.


	10. The Secret Is Out

Chapter 10

The Secret Is Out

"I'm not a vampire," Mavis said not realizing she had shown her fangs to Troy again.

"But how do you have those teeth?" Troy asked, still a little scared of her while pointing to her mouth.

"It's just that I have an overbite," she started but was interrupted by the door opening. She saw Johnny first, but was relieved even more when Jenna walked in behind her.

"Mavy," Jonathan said with a smile on his face like always," Jenna had some more things she wanted to talk to you about." He didn't notice that Troy was still standing behind where Mavis had landed after jumping off the ceiling. When Mavis turned he saw his nephew, and became a pale as her. "Umm," was all that Jonathan could say when he saw Troy.

Luckily for Mavis and Jonathan, Jenna was great at explaining things to her nephew. "Troy, what's wrong? You look scared of something; almost like you've just seen a ghost."

"Not a ghost," he said with the fear slowly being replaced by nervousness, "but a vampire."

Jenna looked at Mavis sympathetically before asking her, "Should I tell him, or would you like to?" Neither Mavis or Jonathan could say anything. They had expected one of Johnny's parents or brothers to find out first, not Troy. After a few seconds, Jenna took the inaction to mean she should tell him. "You see Troy, there is something very special about Mavis."

"So she really is a vampire?" He said in an excited tone that finally started to replace the fear he had felt.

Mavis, with Jenna's help, was finally able to speak. "Yes, Little Monster," she called him remembering what Linda had called her earlier, which made Troy smile, "It's true. I am." Immediately after admitting it, if felt as if a large weight was lifted off of Mavis's shoulders; she had no idea that it could be this easy to just say it. "You don't look scared any more."

"If Auntie Jenna knows, then you must be nice."

Mavis smiled as wide as she had since they had arrived in California, however it was Johnny who answered, "She's the nicest person I've ever met. Why else would she have said yes when I asked her to marry me," he said as he was chuckling walking over to hug Mavis.

Jenna led Troy over to her and he also hugged her. The embrace was almost as comforting as when his mother or grandmother did the same. As they released the hug, he said to Mavis, "You are nice!" Once again a smile crossed Mavis face and she gave him a kiss on the forehead. It felt a little scary to him since one of her fangs touched his skin, but he knew that Jenna wouldn't allow Mavis to hurt him. "Can I ask you a question?"

"Sure, if you want to," Mavis said almost as excitedly as when she told Jenna what she wanted to know.

For some reason, Jonathan excused himself, leaving Mavis with Troy and Jenna. Troy finally asked the same first question that Jenna did. "What's it like to fly?"

"It's just so freeing, like there is nothing that can hold you back. Would you like to see?" Troy nodded, and Mavis began to concentrate. "All I have to do is bend my legs and push off." Mavis jumped and was replaced by a bat that flew over to Troy before landing on his shoulder.

Troy felt her fir and shouted, "It's so soft!"

Mavis took off and grabbed him as she changed back to her vampire form, giving him another kiss on the forehead. This time Troy didn't mind the feeling of her fang on his skin, as it felt comforting. "Thanks, Troy. I'm so glad you like me." She thought for a second before adding, "You know, I don't have to be a bat to fly. Would you like me to show you?" Troy nodded with a large grin on his face. "Just take my hands." Troy grabbed them, as she pulled him tight. The two then began to levitate in the air. "Don't look down, unless you want to." She lifted him up until his head was a few inches from the ceiling.

"This is so cool! I'm so glad you're gonna be my aunt too!" Mavis smiled at him as they lowered to the floor again. "So are you gonna have to turn Johnny into one of you?" Troy frowned as he didn't mean it in the way that he had said it.

"Maybe one day, but I don't know when it will be." Jenna gave Mavis a look like she wanted to add something to this, but she couldn't until they could be in private.

"So are all monsters as nice as you?" Troy was saddened by the way he said it. "Sorry, I don't know what else to call you."

"It's OK, Troy. That's what we call ourselves. A lot are, and Johnny is friends with many of them. Unfortunately, there as still some who actually hunt humans," Mavis hated that she had said this, but it felt important that he knew the truth, "but their numbers are dwindling rapidly."

Jenna looked at her nephew saying, "Why don't you go down and watch TV. I wanna talk to Mavis."

"OK. So are you gonna tell everyone?" Troy asked to Mavis as he was leaving.

"Hopefully one of the next couple of nights."

"OK. I won't tell anyone. I promise!" This time it was Troy who went to Mavis and kissed her on the cheek before he walked out.

Jenna asked Mavis after the door closed, "Do you have like X-ray vision, or something."

"Kind of. I mean, I can see thru some things."

"Can you see where Johnny is?"

Mavis searched for a minute, and saw Johnny in the living room downstairs, and she relayed this information to Jenna. "It looks like he's waiting for something," she added.

"Good," Jenna said relieved. "There's a couple of things that your mom also told me that I think you need to know about. First is one I think you already know, and that is that she wanted me to tell you that she still loves you more than she could ever say." A large smile crossed Mavis's lips, as she loved to hear this, and hugged Jenna. "I kind of thought that you'd like to know that. The other thing is about what Troy asked you."

"About turning Johnny?" Mavis said with a little bit of nervousness in her voice.

Jenna nodded as she said, "Yeah. She said you might not need to." Jenna wanted to explain what else Martha had told her, but she couldn't.

Mavis started thinking about how that could be possible. "But how else could he be with me forever?" She remembered that a vampire had to get their fangs by the time they were five, or they wouldn't ever come in. But even still you had to have some vampire blood in you. "Are you guys related to a vampire?"

Jenna wanted to tell her, but knew that Martha had asked her not to. She was torn, because she didn't want to lie to Mavis. "Maybe," she said unconvincingly. "It's just your mom swore me to secrecy." Jenna couldn't believe that she just told her that.

"Why would she want it to be a secret, unless you do?" Jenna looked like she didn't know how to answer, and Mavis felt terrible about making Jenna so uncomfortable. "I'm sorry. If you can't tell me any more, then I won't pry. But thanks for telling me about my mom still loving me." The two women shared another hug.

"Mavis, can I give you a suggestion?" Mavis nodded at her, and Jenna continued, "If you guys are going out Saturday night, I'd tell everyone as soon as possible. Give them time to digest the truth before then."

"You're right. We'll probably tell them tomorrow.

The two exchanged goodbyes and Jenna went to do her homework. She noticed Johnny carrying a package to their room, and she asked him, "What's that?"

"It's something for Mavis," he said slowly, not really wanting to talk about it.

The box was too big to be a present that she could think he'd give her, and she could hear liquid sloshing. "Johnny, don't lie to me!"

He knew he was busted, and since she already knew the truth about Mavis anyway, it couldn't hurt to tell her. "Yeah, it's," Johnny paused as he looked around and was relieved to not see anyone. He continued, "It's Mavis's blood supply."

Jenna looked as if she would be sick. "So she really does drink blood?"

"Not really. Come on back in," he said as he led her back into their room. "Mavy, your Blood Beaters are here."

Mavis was unsure of how Jenna would take the news, "Good, I guess."

Jenna asked, "What are 'Blood Beaters'."

Mavis pulled out the carton she was drinking from her suitcase, "It's artificial blood. You wanna try some?"

"I guess." Jenna grabbed the open carton from her, and sipped some of it. It tasted salty and sour to her. "Tastes like the real thing to me." Jenna had licked enough of her cuts to know what her blood tasted like.

"I haven't ever had real human blood, except for a few times," Mavis regretted saying the last part, as she thought back to what happened to Johnny a few weeks ago.

Luckily, Johnny filled in the details, "Yeah, but it was my fault. I kissed her, and caught one of her fangs." A smile came to Jonathan's face thinking back to that night. "Although it did feel really good as she tried to suck all she could from my mouth." Johnny put his arm around Mavis's shoulder.

"So you don't drink real blood at all?"

"I mean, I'll drink some animal blood, but I never tried to feed on human blood. I've only tasted it a few times by accident, but it can be addicting."

Jenna was sorry about asking her about it, but she was relieved that they felt that they could trust her. Before she left their room, she hugged Mavis and Johnny again.

The sun had set on the day, and Mavis really wanted to go outside with Johnny, and spend some time with him. She wanted to go onto the roof, and Johnny relented after debating it for a few minutes. She walked up the side of the wall, while Johnny climbed up a ladder. They just sat there watching the stars for about a half hour, until Johnny started to get cold. To get down, Mavis held Johnny close, and they floated down together. What neither of them realized was that Sam was outside, and saw everything.

When Sam saw that the objects floating down from the roof were actually Mavis and Johnny, she started screaming hysterically. Johnny tried to calm her down, but it wouldn't work. He was able to drag her inside, which would eliminate some of the commotion. That just led to another discussion that they weren't quite ready to have.

Sam was still screaming, when she finally shouted, "I saw you," she said in a still hysterical voice pointing at Mavis, "You flew down from the roof!" Everyone else began to get concerned. "What are you?"

Johnny looked at Mavis, and said softly to her, "I guess the cat's out of the bag now. We might as well just tell them." Mavis nodded, as Johnny held her close hoping that his explanation might calm his family. "You see, guys, we haven't been completely honest about Mavis. There's more to her than meets the eye."

Kent butted in, not knowing exactly what they were going to admit to, and whispered to Jenna, "And with her there is a lot to meet the eye."

He didn't think that Mavis could hear him, but she did. Both Jenna and Mavis glared at him before he mumbled, "Sorry."

Johnny continued unaware of why Mavis looked upset at his brother, "You see, Mavis isn't just from Romania, she's from Transylvania. Her father is," he tried to let everyone prepare for what he was going to say while he gulped trying to calm his nerves. Luckily, Mavis was holding him close, and that gave him the strength he would need to finish the sentence, "Count Dracula." He waited for a second to let it sink into everyone.

His father started chuckling trying to lighten the mood. "Good one, Johnny. Next, I guess you're gonna tell us that she a vampire, too."

Mavis, still holding Johnny said slowly, "Actually, yeah." No one could believe what she was saying, except for Jenna and Troy. Mike's expression went from him thinking it was a joke, to him thinking this was serious. His smile changed to a slightly fearful look.

Kent, trying to continue what his father started, said, "Johnny, you really had us going for a second. Come on! Level with us; vampires don't exist."

For some reason, it looked to Mavis that the most scared one of all was Brett. He kept his lips close together, holding Sam. Mavis was unsure if he was trying to give support or get it.

"They do!" Johnny shouted. "And every one I have met has been just as nice as Mavis, even Dracula."

Linda finally screamed, "Johnny, this isn't funny anymore! Stop this cruel joke."

Mavis looked at Johnny, whispering, "They don't believe us."

Johnny shrugged and said just above a whisper, "Show them." Mavis lifted her lips exposing her fangs

Linda was now hysterical. "Johnny, this prank has gone too far. Stop it!"

"Something more," Johnny whispered to Mavis. She turned into a bat, and flew around the room before landing back next to Johnny and returning to her vampire form with her arm around Johnny again.

Everyone else in the room, except for Mike, Jenna, and Troy were now terrified of her. Linda even shouted, "Oh my god! She's a monster!"

Troy found the strength to try and quell some of the fears of his family by going up to her, and asking, "So you're like a superhero?"

Mavis smiled as she realized what Troy was trying to do. "Kind of," she replied while Troy went close to her and hugged her, and she kissed him on the forehead.

"Troy, get away from her. She's dangerous!" Sam screamed now in a complete panic.

Johnny, trying to lighten the mood had a smile still in his face and sang softly, "You know she's a little bit dangerous." (It's a Roxette joke. Read chapter 20 of _The New Vampires_ and maybe you'll get it). However, it did nothing to lessen the fear Sam had.

Jenna walked up to Mavis as she put Troy down. She looked disgusted at her family saying, "Last night you all thought she was beautiful. Now that you know the truth that changes something? You're all despicable!" She went up to Mavis and hugged her. "I still love her like a sister, because that's what she is!"

"Thanks, sis." Mavis said to Jenna, relieved that she was also going to vouch for her.

Linda was still freaking out. "But vampires don't exist! They can't!"

Mike looked even more disgusted at Linda, mouthing, "Really? Vampires don't exist?" He followed Jenna's example, but Mavis was a little concerned what he was going to do, until he came up to her and hugged her as well. "And I love Mavis like my new daughter-in-law also. The truth is supposed to set you free, not imprison you!"

"Thanks, Dad," both Mavis and Johnny said as he and Mavis separated.

Mike looked at Brett, mouthing, "Come on, son. You know the truth; help me out here."

Brett was terrified that his biggest secret would come out. The safest course of action for him was to follow his mother's and wife's lead, which is what he did.

The only one who had calmed down somewhat was Kent. He had suspected there was something special about Mavis, but still couldn't believe this was it.

The reaction of Johnny's family, minus Jenna, Mike, and Troy tore Mavis's heart out. She ran upstairs to Johnny's room at full speed in tears. Johnny simply looked at the four members of his family who freaked out, and shot a deathly gaze at them. Finally, as he started to leave the room to go comfort Mavis, he shouted, "What the fuck is wrong with you people!"

Linda was stunned that he would use that language in front of Troy, since Johnny rarely cursed. Johnny simply left everyone in complete silence, not knowing if he would have to possibly disown his family.

 **Author's Note:** I am expanding on the flashback that I did for my story, _The New Vampires_ in Chapter 19. There are answers to somethings I won't elaborate on in this story, in that story.

Also, please review. I don't expect, nor want, everyone to like the story. My favorite reviews are actually those who give constructive criticism and suggestions. One such example changed the path I was going to use in my other story, and I think it did so for the better.


	11. Acceptance

Chapter 11

Acceptance

Jonathan hurried upstairs to his room to be with Mavis. He was worried to death that she might hurt herself. He knocked on the door before opening it, and what he saw tore his heart out. Mavis was sitting in the corner of the room, with her back towards the door in tears.

He quickly went over next to her and put a hand on her back, rubbing it. "I'm so sorry about how that went," he said softly, fighting back his own tears. However, the sadness he felt for Mavis was quickly replaced with rage towards his own family. "I had no idea my own mother could be that much of a fucking bitch!" Immediately after saying that he regretted it, but he was unable to censor himself. Mavis finally looked up at him, and if the sight of seeing her back hurt him, seeing her face almost crushed him. He wasn't able to hold back any more, and joined Mavis in tears.

Mavis attempted to comfort Jonathan, as the two held each other. Both of them trying to give the other strength. "It's not your fault, Johnny," she said softly, trying to lessen the blame he placed on himself. "You couldn't have known that they would have done that."

"But my own mother," he started but wasn't able to find the right words to express his contempt for her. After a minute he finally found what he wanted to say, "I don't think they hate you. I just think they need time to think about it, then they will like you."

Mavis thought back to her conversation with Jenna and gasped. "That's what Jenna said too!"

"Huh?" Johnny answered with a confused look on his face.

"Jenna said that we should tell them soon, so they can digest it."

"She always was the smart one," Johnny said with a small chuckle. "I know that they don't hate you, they'll just need time."

Mavis giggled as she said, "That's what you told my dad, too." Jonathan tried to think back to what she was talking about, but his memory was clouded by the events of the last half hour. Luckily Mavis would refresh his memory. "About half of the humans would quickly be our friends, and would like us. A quarter would hate us no matter what, and the other quarter would either be indifferent or not know how to think of us at first." She chuckled again, "You weren't off by that much."

Mavis's words help to cheer up Jonathan somewhat, but this was one of the first times he could ever remember someone else having to cheer him up. "Thanks, Mavy. I needed that," he said as he pulled her in tighter to give her a kiss on the cheek. "But I just want you to be happy."

"As long as I'm with you, I am." A grin crossed both of their faces as they shared a kiss. After they separated, Mavis added, "Your dad knows something." What Mavis did not mention is that she had heard what his father had mouthed to one of his brothers about him knowing the truth, but she was unsure which one he was talking to. She had suspected since they met that he was hiding a secret, but was unsure what it was.

"What are you talking about?"

"Did you see how quickly he went from being scared of me to hugging me?"

Jonathan chuckled as he remembered, "Yeah. That definitely was a 180." He looked deep into her eyes, and could see her soul becoming happier than before. He remembered that his mother had always said that the eyes were the windows to the soul. "I guess all we can hope it that they'll like you soon."

Back downstairs, Jenna was almost as furious at her family as Jonathan had been. "Johnny was right, what the hell is a matter with you people!" Unlike her brother, she was able to censor herself, however she felt the same contempt he did towards them.

"But he's engaged to a monster!" Linda said still in a panic.

"What if she hurts Johnny?" Sam asked still scared, but not as hysterical as she was earlier.

"You've seen how the two of them were together before you knew the whole truth about her," Mike said trying to calm his wife. "Can you honestly tell me that they don't love each other?"

Mike's words never got through to Linda, as she could only focus on her daughter, with whom she was becoming irate with. "That's what happens when you read _**THOSE**_ books!"

"Mom, are you trying to tell me that you've never read any fantasy books?" Even though Jenna already knew that her mother did. "And Sam, I know that you still have all the _Harry Potter_ books and you still read those."

"But those are different!" Sam yelled, but she was starting to lose the courage to argue. "I mean, there weren't any monsters in there."

"What!" Jenna shouted in pure shock. "You're actually trying to tell me that Voldemort wasn't a monster? Then what makes someone a monster in your book?"

Sam didn't know how to respond to Jenna's remarks. She just assumed that because Mavis was different she was dangerous; she never thought that they might actually be in love because of who she is and not what she is.

"I just don't want to see Johnny get hurt," Linda said in a low voice, now not sure of herself.

"Broken hearts heal slower than broken bones," Jenna said staring right into the eyes of her mother. "What if Mavis really is his soulmate?" She had wanted to call Mavis his 'zing', but suspected that her family wouldn't know what that meant.

"Monsters don't have souls. They can't!" Linda shouted, trying to counter, but she was even more unsure of her position now.

"Ok, then," Jenna said willing to concede that point as it made little difference. "What if Mavis is his true love then? Would you crush his heart, just because you're afraid of what she MIGHT do to him?"

"But they drink blood!" Sam screamed. "What if she's just keeping him around for a snack?"

"You're kidding, right?" Mike asked her, with a slight laugh. "I still remember seeing you two," he said pointing right at Sam and Brett, "acting the same way. Are you trying to tell me that they are not in love?"

"And so what if she does?" Jenna answered slightly irritated at her sister-in-law, even though she knew the truth about Mavis drinking human blood. "You've seen how they've been together. Do you honestly think that she would hurt him?"

Jenna's words had finally gotten through to Linda, but she still couldn't accept it. She ran upstairs to her room in tears.

"You're right, Jenna," Kent said. He had already started to warm up to the idea of having a vampire in the family just before Mavis ran out. "Why don't we at least give her a chance?" Sam and Brett, driven mostly by guilt agreed, and they all went upstairs.

Mike would go try to convince and comfort Linda, while the others went to go apologize to Mavis. Jenna knocked on the door. "Guys, do you want some company?"

Mavis instantly smiled when she heard her voice, and hoped that it was her and maybe Troy. She was a little nervous when she saw Brett, Sam, and Kent also.

"I think they all have something to say," Jenna said sternly while looking right at Sam, since she was the one who freaked out the most about Mavis.

"She's right," Sam said with tears still remaining in her eyes. "I was just so scared that you'd hurt Troy or Johnny that I panicked. I didn't even give you a chance." Tears resumed flowing from her eyes.

Kent continued as he saw that his sister-in-law wouldn't be able to, "I think we all did, but I guess it would be kind of cool to have a vampire in the family," he said chuckling.

Troy went up to Mavis, and hugged her. "I told you that they'd like you," he whispered to Mavis. Mavis gave him a kiss on the forehead, and again he felt her fang on his skin. He had gone from being afraid of it, to enjoying it.

"He really likes you, doesn't he?" Sam asked looking right at her son.

"Mavis is really nice, mommy," he answered with a large smile on his face.

"I'm sorry I didn't even give you a chance." Sam said now looking like she was more guilty than scared, "I was just so afraid that the movies were right about your kind."

"Some still are," Mavis said frowning, as she hated admitting it, "but there aren't that many human hunters left. And I hope that our love will show those who are still afraid of humans that we can be friends!"

"So you guys don't actually drink blood?" Kent asked curiously.

"Only Blood Beaters." Johnny answered.

"What's that?" This time it was Brett who asked.

Mavis replied, "It's artificial blood; you wanna try some?" She reached for the open carton, and he sipped some.

Immediately as the surrogate touched his his lips, Brett felt a sense of power and strength he never had before. "This is really good!" As he proceeded to finish the whole carton.

Everyone was surprised at his reaction to tasting it, but no one was more so than Mavis. She remembered Jonathan's reaction, as he almost gagged on it. She knew he was hiding a secret, but could this be what it was? She stared at his open mouth, and could make out two longer teeth. However, these were blunt, not sharp like her fangs were.

Mike arrived at their room just as the others got to Jonathan's room. Just after they went into Jonathan's room, Mike knocked on their door. "Honey, you wanna talk about it?" He said as he entered the room.

Linda was sitting on the bed in tears, repeating, "Vampires don't exist. Vampires don't exist."

"Honey, what's wrong?"

"What's wrong? Johnny's engaged to a monster!"

Mike was fighting back tears from what Linda said. "Yeah, I was in the room when they told us." He looked deep into Linda's eyes, trying to let what he had said sink in. However he could see it wasn't helping. "She's not a monster. She's Mavis; you know, you're future daughter-in-law." Linda shook her head. "Why not?"

"Because vampires don't exist. They can't!"

Mike just looked questioningly at Linda, as he knew the secret that Linda had hoped to keep from him. "Really. Vampires don't exist?"

"What?"

"Nothing," Mike said shaking his head, as he knew that he wasn't supposed to know about what he did. "Why don't you just try to give Mavis a chance? You didn't like Sam at first, either."

Linda thought back to when Brett told her that they were engaged, and she didn't like it. "But how?"

"I don't know. Why don't you two try and do something girly tomorrow?"  
"Like what?" Linda asked, but was actually considering Mike's suggestion.

"Well, we're supposed to go out on Saturday, so when's the last time you went to the salon?"

"I don't know. I guess we can try it."

"I think you two will have a great time," Mike said relieved that Linda was going to try and get to know Mavis better.

"I hope you're right, honey." Mike hugged Linda and kissed her on the forehead.

Later that night, Mavis went downstairs to get a glass of water. Before going into the kitchen, she saw the computer on, with an email still open on the screen. She read what was on it.

"Jacob,  
Johnny is engaged to a vampire. I think that we should tell them the whole truth, even if they and Brett will be the only ones. I want to respect Linda's and your wishes, but I think they have to know. Mike"

Mavis couldn't believe what she was reading. She was surprised that Mike would tell someone about her, but the bigger surprise was that he was confirming that Brett knows about a secret.

Mike came back into the family room from the kitchen and cleared his throat as he saw Mavis looking at the computer, which startled Mavis. She started to show her fangs out of instinct, but recognized Mike. "What are you going to do with those things," he said chuckling pointing at her mouth.

"Sorry," Mavis answered blushing, "just a habit."

"It's ok. But didn't you know it wasn't polite to read another's correspondence?" Mike asked somewhat jokingly.

"Sorry," she said looking embarrassed that she was caught. "But who's Jacob?"

Mike frowned at the question, "He's a distant family member, but I can't tell you any more than that."

"Is he," she paused to think of how she should ask it, "special?"

"He is, but I can't say any more than that." He said sympathetically while looking at Mavis since he really wanted to tell her more. Then he smiled at her. "I'm sorry about the way my family acted earlier."

"It's ok. Everyone's already apologized for it, except for" she couldn't say that Linda still hadn't talked to her.

"Linda will come around. I think you two will have a good time tomorrow," Mike said trying to reassure her.

"I hope so," Mavis said while thinking, "Does he realize what he promised?"

Mavis didn't sleep much that next night. She kept having nightmares that Linda would never accept her as Johnny's wife, no matter what. She dreamed of their wedding night, with none of his family attending because of her. Johnny tried to brush it off. However, it crushed her that all of her family and friends were there, but none of his family attended. She really wanted Jenna in her wedding party, as the two had become really close.

Linda, on the other hand, saw Mavis and Johnny together, in a dark place. He had puncture marks on his neck, and his eyes weren't the same ones that she loved. They were narrow, snake-like slits. He had fangs in his mouth, similar to hers, and was not the same fun-loving boy she loved. What she envisioned was a bloodthirsty monster.

Mavis was awoken by Johnny shortly after sunrise, and invited downstairs. "You're wanted downstairs for breakfast," he said with a smile on his face not telling her that it was her mother who wanted her to join the family.

Mavis entered the kitchen still in her nightgown, and was surprised to see the entire family dressed and ready for the day. Everyone was trying to wear a smile, even Linda. Mavis sat at the table, in between Jenna and Troy, and noticed a box next to Troy with a cartoony vampire on it. She stared at it for a few minutes before asking, "What's that?"

Troy had a smile on his face as he said excitedly, "Count Chocula!"

Mavis was confused. She just kept staring at it, but Johnny came over with two empty bowls and poured some of the cereal into each of them. "It's really good, Mavy-Wavy. Try it!" He told her with a smile on his face.

Mavis tried the dry cereal, "It's okay," she said struggling to chew it. "Kind of tough to eat, though."

Troy looked at Johnny, then turned to Mavis, "You're missing the best part!" He said with even more excitement to Mavis.

Johnny poured some milk over the cereal and told her to give it a minute. She then tried another bite, and couldn't believe the difference. "Howly Wrabbies!" She screamed with her mouth full. "This is great," finally emptying her mouth. Mavis downed two bowls of cereal, even drinking the leftover chocolate milk.

Shortly before he was leaving for work, Mike came over close to Mavis, and whispered to her, "I told you that you'd have a good day." He smiled at her, and Mavis reciprocated. "And I think it will get even better."

Mavis had no idea what Mike was referring to, as she had not yet been told about the plan for later that day. She trusted Mike, and really believed him. If he promised a great day, he would most likely deliver on that promise.


	12. Troubling News

Chapter 12

Troubling News

Back at the hotel, Dracula was in his study. A courier had just delivered several pieces of mail to the hotel, with official looking wax seals on them. His chief guard had delivered them all to his office, and he began to thumb through them. He grabbed the one addressed to himself, and began to inspect it.

The ancient looking parchment with the seal made it look 'official'. Upon closer inspection of the seal, his look changed to one of terror. He recognized the seal of the Monster Commonwealth and the parliament of monsters worldwide. This was the governing body of all of monster kind, and Dracula knew that this was something that he could not ignore. His fears were confirmed when he read to whom the other pieces were addressed: Wayne, Wanda, Frank, Eunice, Murray, and Mavis. There was also one simply addressed to "The Human". He was confused to why all of his friends except for Griffin received one.

Dracula opened his letter, and was horrified with what he saw. It was a subpoena requiring him to appear before the Parliament in two weeks. He assumed that his friends all received similar "invitations" as well.

Dracula went to his friends' homes to deliver the subpoenas, as he had no choice. The reactions from all of his friends all mirrored his own. They all feared that they may want to kill Johnny to protect the secret of their kind. Although, he had heard that a new political party had been gaining seats in the Parliament, and that appealing to that new "Integration Party" might be their best chance. Unfortunately, they were still a minority party, but their numbers had grown significantly in the past few elections of delegates.

Dracula knew that he had to call Johnny and Mavis to tell them about this, as their appearance was also demanded. He called Mavis's phone shortly after midnight in Transylvania, but forgot about the time difference. He was relieved when Johnny finally answered. "Hello?" He answered after noticing the country code for Romania.

A relieved sigh came from Dracula as he had reached one of his targets. "Jonathan, is Mavis available?"

"Naw, she's taking a shower. Unless you want me to get her," Jonathan's voice sounded too excited at his suggestion.

"No, that's fine." He wanted to tell Jonathan that he was thinking that he would like to suck all the blood out of him and make him look like a deflated ball for even suggesting that he would go into the shower with Mavis. "But, I need you to give her a message for me."

"What is it, Drac?"

"We've all been summoned to appear before the legislature, including you."

"Me?" He asked completely confused at why they wanted to see him. "Why would anyone in Washington wanna speak to me?"

"You narrow-minded fool!" Dracula snapped at Jonathan's airheaded mind. Even though Dracula was only on the phone, Jonathan still felt as if he was about to be slapped by the vampire. "I don't mean the Congress of the United States, I mean the parliament of monsters. They set all the laws and rules for our kind, and I have broken many of them within the last several months."

"Wait! They have laws about humans?"

"Yes, and some of them are still barbaric. Under the law, I should have killed you when you entered the hotel."

Jonathan was now terrified, "Then why would they want to see me?"

"I'll explain later, but you two must be back here in 10 days. Is that clear?" Dracula said in a voice that didn't hide the apprehension he felt as well.

"We'll be there." The two exchanged goodbyes and hung up.

Mavis came out of the bathroom about 10 minutes later, and noticed how pale that Jonathan was, and knew something was wrong. She asked, "What's wrong, Johnny?"

"I just found out that we'll have to cut our trip short. We'll have to fly straight back to the hotel from here."

Mavis knew that her dad was behind this, and was furious at him. "That no good, rotten," but she was cut off by Jonathan.

"Mavy, it's not his fault. We've all been asked to appear before some legislature."

Mavis's look went from furious to terrified. She knew what he meant, and couldn't believe that they'd want Jonathan to appear as well. Most monsters still thought that humans could not be trusted, so the thought of them listening to a human seemed impossible.

"Mavy," Jonathan continued looking deep into her eyes while holding her close, "just try not to let it bother you. Try and have a good time with my mother. We can only deal with one thing at a time." The two shared a kiss before they headed downstairs together.

Linda was waiting downstairs in the family room with Sam and Kent. Linda had asked Kent to take Jonathan out, so that the ladies could spend some time together. He and Johnny would go to another movie, while the ladies would all go to the salon. However neither Mavis nor Jonathan knew exactly what the plan was.

When Mavis and Jonathan got downstairs, Kent asked, "You ready to go, bro?"

"Huh?" Jonathan asked having absolutely no clue to what Kent was talking about. "Where we goin'?"

Kent went close to Jonathan and whispered, "We're going to give the girls a chance to bond," winking at Mavis as he finished, adding slightly louder to her, "It'll be OK."

Jonathan relented, and turned to Mavis also whispering, "Dad said you'd have a good day. Just roll with it." He hugged Mavis as he and Kent headed out.

Mavis let out a sigh as the door closed, and thought, "Great. I'm alone with someone who hates me," even though she knew Sam was still there, and she had warmed up to her.

Shortly after seeing her sigh, Sam went up to Mavis and said softly, "It'll be a good day. Just give it a chance." Sam wanted to elaborate more, but knew that she should keep some of the plan a surprise. "Can you go out during the day?"

"Yeah," Mavis said with a smile now starting to replace the look of apprehension she had on her face. "Just let me get my umbrella." Mavis returned downstairs wearing a sun hat, and also carrying a decorative umbrella. "Ready," she shouted, not mentioning that she was unsure of what to expect.

Linda approached Mavis with a pained look on her face. She had been hurt by the fact that everyone else in the family was willing to give Mavis a chance, but she had been the last to. "First off," Linda said as she came close to Mavis, "I need to apologize for how I acted yesterday. It's just I was worried that you'd hurt Johnny." Mavis looked distraught that Linda could even think that of her, but she knew from her own father that parents can be over protective. "I wanna be honest with you, so I think I should tell you the truth." Mavis nodded at Linda, and was prepared for anything, no matter how much it would hurt her. "I'm still not sure about this, but Sam and Mike both think we need to try and get to know each other. So if you're willing to give it a try, I figured the three of us could go to the salon, and get out hair done for tomorrow night."

"That sounds like fun," Mavis said with a smile on her face. She really wanted to give Sam a chance, since she was really nice to her when they first met. As for Linda, Mavis still wasn't sure what to expect, but was willing to try anything for Jonathan.

"Great," Sam said, "Because we all have appointments for hairstyling, and a mani-pedi."

"What's that?" Mavis asked.

"You live in a hotel, and don't know what a manicure and pedicure are?" Sam asked almost as shocked as when Jonathan told them all the truth about Mavis.

Mavis just shook her head. "Nope. What are they?"

"Boy are you in for a treat." Mavis still looked scared at what would happen to her, but Sam smiled at her and continued, "Just trust me. You'll love it!"

The ladies left about a half hour after the boys did. The salon was run by a friend of Linda's and several of Sam's friends had become stylists there. On the ride over, Sam could see that something was troubling Mavis, but didn't know if she should ask about it. She didn't want to seem like she was fishing for information, but Sam knew that Mavis was distracted about something. The silence in the car was awkward anyways, so Sam asked, "What's your dad like?"

"He's my dad," Mavis answered not knowing what they really wanted to know about him.

Sam followed up asking, "I mean what's he look like?" Mavis pulled out her phone, and showed Sam the selfie that Jonathan and her father had taken. "Huh, I thought vampires couldn't have their picture taken."

"Johnny figured it out." Mavis said laughing, thinking back to the night that he took the first picture of her, and she actually got to see her image.

"Linda has some pictures of Johnny you'll have to see later. You'll die laughing!"

Linda smiled as she recalled some of the embarrassing pictures she had of him. "They'll be time for that later. But now, we're here!" Their car pulled up to a strip mall, and everyone got out.

The three checked into the salon about 15 minutes prior to their appointments. Linda was going to get a perm, while Sam was just going to get her hair cut in addition to the mani-pedi.

Mavis wasn't sure what to ask for, but there was always something she wanted to try. She always liked her Aunt Eunice's streak in her hair, and now seemed like a good opportunity to get one. She asked the stylist for a purple streak in the side of her hair.

Mavis noticed that the woman who had asked her how she wanted her hair looked a little bit like her. She had pale looking skin and black hair. Unlike Mavis, she wore more purple makeup. After Mavis had asked for her style, the stylist, who was a friend of Sam's, noticed that Mavis didn't have a reflection in the mirror. She asked her while pointing at the mirror, "So what's up with that? You're not a vampire or something, are you?" While she was chuckling.

That question worried Mavis a little, but luckily Sam was in the chair next to her and was ready to explain. "Actually, yeah," Sam, who was sitting in the chair immediately to Mavis's right, answered for her.

"Well I'll be," the stylist said with a smile on her face, "a real life vampire sitting in my chair. I'll have to tell all the girls later!"

Mavis was completely surprised by her reaction, but was glad it was like the lady on the train, instead of her future in-laws. "You're not scared?"

"Why would I be? Sam brought you here, so I'm gonna assume you're a friend."

"Future sisters-in-law, actually," Sam answered.

"So which one of your brothers-in-law is the lucky guy?"

"Johnny," Mavis said with a large smile on her face. "He's my zing!"

The stylist wasn't sure what Mavis had meant, but assumed it meant true love. "That's great to know. He's a lucky guy!" The stylist finished her hairstyle in about a half hour, but wasn't sure how to show her. "I'm not sure how you can see this, but I think it looks great!"

Mavis pulled out her phone, and took a selfie. "It's amazing!" A large smile on her face, completely exposing her fangs. Luckily, either no one saw or was scared by them.

The stylist saw her fangs, and was curious asking Mavis along with a chuckle, "So what do you use those things for?"

Mavis blushed, as she was embarrassed she showed them. "Sorry, it's just you did an amazing job!"

The stylist smiled, and replied, "I have to say this is a first; working on a vampire's hair, but you seem really nice." Mavis smiled, again accidentally exposing her fangs. "I'd love to get to know you better."

"I'd like that, too," Mavis answered with her smile still on her face.

The ladies went back to the waiting area. They still had about ten minutes before they would begin their manicures, so that gave them an opportunity to talk. Sam was first to say, "That looks really cool!" Pointing at the streak.

"Thanks, Sam," Mavis answered with another smile on her face. "But what's her deal?" Pointing at her stylist.

"Who, Zoe?"

"Yeah," Mavis replied, assuming that was her name.

"She's just goth," Sam said in a tone that was slightly annoyed by having to admit it, "but she's been one of my best friends since middle school," Sam answered

"Goth?" Mavis had never heard that term before.

"Yeah, she's into all sorts of dark stuff, or she was. Now she just dresses like it." Sam began chuckling, "I'm almost surprised she didn't ask you for a selfie." The two girls laughed, meanwhile Linda had joined them in waiting. Her hair looked to be slightly curlier than it had been before, with it looking to have more volume.

"Mavis, that looks great!" Linda said seeing what she had done.

"Thanks," Mavis said smiling again, "I just hope Johnny likes it."

"No," Linda said shaking her head, "he won't like it." Mavis frowned for a second.

Sam knew as soon as Linda started what joke she was trying to go with. She played along with Linda, "She's right," Sam said looking at Mavis, "Johnny won't like it." She paused for dramatic effect for a second before finishing, "He'll love it!" with that response, Mavis instantly smiled again.

Linda smiled at Mavis, "Sorry, I just couldn't resist."

Mavis didn't care much for the manicure, but it did feel good to have her fingernails trimmed professionally. The pedicure, on the other hand, was heavenly. She had never had her feet massaged before, and it felt as if all the stress she felt had been completely eliminated.

Across the street from the mall, Brett and Mike were having their normal Friday lunch together. They didn't work far from each other, so for the past year they met every Friday at this particular diner, and got to spend time together. Mike could see that something was troubling Brett, but wasn't sure if he wanted to talk about it. After they sat waiting for their meals in complete silence, it was finally too awkward for Mike. He asked, "Son, what's wrong?"

"Nothing," Brett snapped back to his father, but this only served to confirm to him that something was indeed troubling him.

"Brett, don't lie to me. I know that something is bothering you."

"It's just that," he didn't want to accuse his father of what he suspected, but felt he had to ask, "I mean, you didn't tell Mavis about me, did you?"

"About what?" Mike asked so unconvincingly that Brett now suspected that his own father was lying to him.

"You know exactly what." Brett leaned close to his father as he whispered, "My secret."

Mike didn't know how to explain everything to his son, but felt that the truth was his only answer. "I didn't, but," Brett was almost in tears as he didn't believe his father, "I was writing Him an email, and she saw it still open on the computer."

"Him?" Brett asked his father who just nodded in reply. "Dad, why won't you tell me anything about him?"

Mike was almost ashamed to admit the truth to his son, but that was all he could do. "Brett," he whispered, "I'm not even supposed to know." Mike looked at his son who couldn't believe the reason his father had given him. "Why do you think that Mavis knows?"

"When we went to apologize to her yesterday, she offered me some of her Blood Beaters."

"What's that?" Mike asked, as he had not even asked Mavis about the whole blood thing.

"It's an artificial blood that they drink."

"I swear on my life that I didn't tell her, but in the email she saw I think she read that you have a secret." Brett's eyes began to well up with tears as he couldn't believe that his father could betray his confidence. "I had to tell Him about Mavis and Johnny, and all I can hope is that he will allow me to tell at least them, if not Kent and Jenna too."

"What about Sam?" Brett asked a little nervously.

"You mean you still haven't told her?" Brett just shook his head at his father. "Son, I think you need to tell her ASAP. If not for her, then for your son."

"What about Troy?" Brett asked almost terrified of what could be the answer.

"When I told Him about the birth of Troy, he reminded me that with you finding your gift, it made it more likely that one of your children might as well before the age of 8."

Brett started to speak, but was interrupted by the sound of the door opening. To his horror, entering the diner was Linda, Mavis, and Sam. Luckily they sat on the other side of the diner, so Brett hoped that the ladies wouldn't see him. However, Mavis saw him as soon as they entered.

Mavis waved at him, but Brett was relieved that none of the others had seen her wave. Brett showed a nervous smile back to her, and left quickly after seeing them enter, leaving a twenty dollar bill on the table for his meal.


	13. A Vampire in the Family

Chapter 13

A Vampire in the Family

When the ladies walked into the diner, Brett was scared to see them. He had suspected that Mavis knew the secret that he had hidden from everyone but his father. Brett was upset that his father had inadvertently disclosed the fact he had a secret, even though he didn't directly tell Mavis what it was.

Mavis, Sam, and Linda were seated at a table on the other side of the diner. As soon as they were seated, Brett got up to leave his father leaving behind some money to pay for his lunch. Mavis must have noticed, because as he headed for the door, he saw that she was no longer sitting with the ladies. He hoped that she had just went to the restroom, but was nervous when she caught up with him just before he was able to get into his car.

"Where you goin'?" Mavis asked with a friendly smile on her face.

The look on Brett's face didn't hide what he felt; that being pure terror. He stuttered for a few seconds before he was finally able to say, "I gotta go back to work, but I'll be home later."

"Good," Mavis answered as she was looking at him trying to calm him down. "I think there is something we need to talk about."

Brett didn't know what to say. He was now convinced that Mavis knew what his secret was, and he couldn't do anything about it. All he could really hope is that she would keep his secret better than his father did. He finally relented, "Yeah, there are somethings I need to ask you too." After Brett got into his car, but before he left he thought that maybe admitting it to someone who is like him might help. He knew all the myths about the powers that people who were like him were supposed to have, but wasn't sure if they were true or not. This would the best opportunity to ask.

Mavis went back inside after talking to Brett, and bumped into Mike as he was leaving. He saw her first, and asked, "So how was the salon?"

Mavis had a smile on her face again, and shouted, "I have never been pampered like that before, and it felt great!"

"I told you that you'd have a good day." He looked at her hair, commenting with a smile still on his face, "And that looks really nice, Mavis," pointing at her new purple streak.

"I just hope Johnny likes it," she said still a little nervous about it.

"He loves you, sweetie," Mike answered in a fatherly tone. "It doesn't matter what you look like." The two said their goodbyes and went their separate ways, with Mike going back to work, while Mavis went back inside to dine with the ladies.

The lunch gave Linda the chance she needed to show Mavis some of the embarrassing pictures of Jonathan that Sam had alluded to earlier. They all laughed at most of them, with his high school graduation picture gaining the biggest laughs. He had thought it would be a good idea not to wear a belt on his pants under his gown, and he had a slight "wardrobe malfunction" as Linda put it. He had to walk across the stage with his pants beginning to fall down, and by the time the picture was taken, his pants were down around his ankles.

On the way back to their home, Sam turned to Mavis asking her, "So did you have a good time?"

"Yeah!" She shouted. "Mike was right."

"About what, dear?" Linda asked while driving.

"He promised that I'd have a good day." The smile on Mavis's face grew wider, as she added, "He was right."

The ladies arrived home shortly before Kent and Jonathan did. Jonathan saw the look on Mavis's face when he walked through the door, and knew that they had all become friends, which made Jonathan smile ear to ear. He had not yet seen Mavis's new change, since she was still wearing her hat. Mavis was also sporting a grin that suggested that she wanted to show him something.

About five minutes later, Jonathan finally couldn't bear the awkward silence any more. He went close to Mavis, kissing her. They separated lips with Jonathan still holding Mavis, he asked, "So how was your day?"

The smile on Mavis's face had already told him that it was good. "Great!" she said very enthusiastically as she began to remove her hat, and when Jonathan saw the streak, he was speechless. Mavis let him stare at it for a few seconds, before asking him nervously, "Do you like it?"

Jonathan's mouth was still wide; he had never seen Mavis looking so beautiful in her life. The closest he could remember was during her 118th birthday party. He would answer just like his mother had told Mavis he might. "I don't like it," he said softly as he pulled her in closer, "I love it." Their lips locked again taking them into a deep, passionate kiss.

As they parted again, Sam whispered to Mavis, "I told you so."

All Troy could say as he saw her was, "Wow!"

Jenna was stunned at Mavis's look as well. "Mavis," she said as she approached to hug her, "you look just like a princess!"

Both of their reactions confirmed that it was the right decision to get the streak in her hair. She had become the closest with Jenna of all of the adults, and valued her opinion more than anyone else's well, except Jonathan's.

Brett and Mike both arrived home about the same time, shortly after 4:30 PM. Both of them looked nervous about something, with Mike also having a guilty look on his face. The opportunity for the two of them to talk with Mavis would have to wait until after dinner, which was pizza that Mike had picked up on his way home from work.

The way that the family devoured the pizza made Mavis laugh as she whispered to Jonathan, "Your family eats like werewolves!" This also drew a chuckle from Johnny and Jenna, who was sitting on the other side of Mavis.

"You know werewolves?" Jenna asked Mavis quietly hoping not to let anyone else hear the question. However, Brett had heard, but was trying to ignore it.

Mavis nodded at Jenna, also replying in a whisper, "Yeah, one of my 'uncles' is one."

"I'd really like to meet your family," Jenna said with a smile on her face. "They sound really nice."

"They are," Mavis replied without mentioning that at the present time that would be impossible, as humans were still not allowed to be at the hotel. Dracula and his friends had kept the news about Jonathan quiet, but now they were certain that their government was aware of him. Mavis still wasn't aware of the new political party, since monsters aren't allowed to vote in elections of delegates to the parliament until they are 150. She had hopes that their testimony may change some minds, maybe even enough to open the hotel to a limited number of humans.

"Ah, Mavis," Jonathan said trying to get her back from her thoughts with no effect. He said louder, "Earth to Mavis," waiting a second before she turned her head towards him. "You ok?"

"Oh, sorry," Mavis said embarrassed that she had forgotten about all of them at the table. "What were we talking about?"

"Your Uncle Wayne," Jonathan reminded her.

"Wayne the werewolf?" Jenna asked above a whisper. "That's kind of cute."

"Jenna," her father said with a stern look on his face.

"Sorry," she said blushing. Jenna turned to Mavis, "So does he have any kids, err puppies, I guess?"

Mavis smiled as she thought of her extended family. "Yeah, but they lost count at 50."

Everyone was surprised by the number of kids that they had, but Linda seemed the most so. "More than 50 kids? His wife must be a saint!" Linda said chuckling.

"Wanda's cool," Jonathan said with a large smile on his face. He thought back to when he first met them. Wanda was the first ones to accept him for being a human, other than Mavis.

The family finished eating dinner together, which seemed to bring everyone closer. Mavis loved that she had gone from scaring his family, to almost being one of them.

Shortly after dinner, there was something that Mavis knew that had to be answered. It was something that needed to be addressed by just her and Brett. She knew that he was hiding something from her, and needed to know if it was indeed what she suspected when she first saw his picture.

Mavis approached Brett as the family was watching TV. "Excuse me," she said slightly tentatively, "but I think there is something that we need to talk about." He just looked at her quizzicalily, before Mavis added, "In private."

Brett excused himself, and the two headed into the back yard. "So what is it?" He asked even though he suspected what she wanted to talk about.

Mavis was unsure if he was upset or scared of talking to her. "There was something I noticed about you in the picture that your mom had sent to me." Mavis didn't want to seem like she was fishing for information, but knew if her suspicions were true, then she could definitely help him. Brett seemed to get even more nervous about the way she was talking to him. "You seem to," but she was interrupted by the sound of a twig being broken. She immediately growled at the person coming towards them, but stopped as soon as she recognized who it was.

"Dad?" Brett said now even more concerned about what Mavis wanted to discuss.

"Brett, I think you need to tell her," Mike said with a worried look on his face that almost matched Brett's.

Brett didn't know what to do. He hadn't told anyone his secret, other than his father when it first happened. Something though, suggested to him that if anyone might understand, it would most likely be Mavis. And besides, he never learned how to actually use some of the abilities that Mavis had shown.

"Brett," Mike said softly trying to help his son to admit what he thought they need to, "I really think she needs to know." As he finished speaking, Mike had his left arm on Brett's right shoulder.

Brett took a deep breath trying to calm himself. The words didn't want to come out, as he kept stuttering. "It's … just that … I'm," but he couldn't say any more than that before breaking down in tears. He had hidden the secret for so long, that he didn't have the strength to admit it.

Mavis came closer to Brett, and put her right hand on his left shoulder. "It's okay," she said as she winked at him. "I won't tell anyone, not even Johnny."

Brett still couldn't speak, but he did find the courage to show her. He fished around in his mouth, and removed two caps over his teeth. The caps were hiding two fangs, similar in length to Mavis's.

Even though Mavis had suspected that this was a possibility, she still wasn't quite ready to have seen it. After a few minutes, Mavis asked him, "So have you found any of your powers?"

Brett looked at Mavis with a confused expression on his face. He had heard some of things that vampires were supposed to be able to do, but he had yet to figure them out on his own. He just shook his head, "No, but I haven't really had anyone to help me."

Mavis was glad that Brett had chosen to confide in her, and started to rub his shoulder to calm him. It wasn't necessary, since just him admitting it to someone made him feel a lot better. The look on Brett's face had become much more peaceful with him now sobbing. "Why couldn't I have done this years ago," he said in tears.

Mike looked at his son with a look that suggested extreme guilt. It had been his fault that Brett had concealed it. He was scared that Linda would have freaked out, since Jacob had told him that it was her who wanted to cut him off from their family. Mike could never understand why she had done that, and Jacob never explained either.

"I can help you with some of it," Mavis said smiling at Brett. "I'm not as good of a teacher as my dad, but I might be able to teach you some stuff." Mavis knew that having to keep this a secret from her father and Jonathan might be hard, but she had sworn that she would. And a Dracula's word was sacred.

Mike was ready to explain what he knew. "He has told me that it's okay for me to tell the two of you about Him, but He doesn't want anyone else to know." Both Mavis and Brett nodded at Mike in confirmation. "His name is Jacob, and he claims to be 568 years old. He fell in love with a human almost 250 years ago, and that's where the vampire blood in you kids comes from."

"So how far back is he?" Mavis asked as she wasn't sure about human generations.

"Supposedly, he is 9 generations back from Linda." Mike looked worried towards Mavis, as he was about to ask about her. "He has asked about you, but I think that is up to you to tell him. Just remember, he doesn't want Johnny or anyone else in the family to know about this." Mike handed Mavis a piece of paper with something written on it. "This is his email address. He'd like you to contact him in the future."

"But what about Johnny?" Mavis asked. "Shouldn't he know the truth as well?"

Mike frowned. "I am to try and convince Linda to let all of the family know, but I don't think she will agree." He thought back to the last night, when Linda was trying to convince herself that vampires don't exist. "But I'll do my best." Mike looked at his son and Mavis together, and was relieved. "I think I'll leave you two alone to talk."

The two of them remained outside together for another hour or so, just talking about what Mavis knew about being a vampire. Mike wasn't going to ask him about anything they talked about, because he didn't want Jenna to find out. But Jenna had long suspected there was something very special about her oldest brother, but there could be no way that she could have even dreamed it was this. Only she already knew about the family secret, and like Mavis and Brett had been by Mike, she had been sworn to secrecy by Martha even though she inadvertently disclosed it to Mavis.

Back in Transylvania, Griffin was talking to someone on the phone. The voice on the other end was a woman's and sounded very distinguished. "You haven't told him the truth yet?" She asked the invisible man.

"No," Griffin said in a worried tone. "You know how he likes surprises."

The woman answered with a chuckle, "The Dracula I know doesn't like surprises."

"You're right," Griffin answered laughing. "I know that this is a huge risk, but the committee is friendly to the possibility of … well you know." He dared not say what he had hoped for the hotel and monster kind, just in case someone else was listening. With Griffin's defection from the 'Segregationists' to the 'Integrationists' the committee was now ripe for this debate. The numbers were almost even. All they would need to do is to convince one other member to allow them the attempt to integrate monsters and humans in a controlled setting, and the hotel might be their best chance.

"How are you so sure about this?"

"Martha!" One word would be enough.

About a week before she was killed, Martha shared with Griffin a vision for the future. He wanted to tell the prophecy she had told him, but couldn't. All Griffin could hope for was that Jonathan was the one she spoke of who would end the fighting and fear between humans and monsters.

* * *

 **Authors Note:** This is where I am tying in events from my other story (The New Vampires). If you have read that one, then you will not be surprised with Brett's secret.


	14. Phophecy

**Author's Note:** It was recommended to me that I need to include biographies for my OC's and semi OC's

Brett is Jonathan's oldest brother. He is 7 years older than Johnny, making him 28 at this time. He is first seen in _Hotel Transylvania 2_ as Jonathan's best man, standing beside Jonathan's backpack. Unknown to everyone except Mike, and at this point Mavis, he sprouted fangs and became a vampire at age 4. He is voiced by Anthony Jeselnik

Kent is Johnathan brother, between older than Johnny, but younger than Brett. He is 4 years older than Johnny, making him 25. He is first seen in HT2, walking the blue tentacle monster down the aisle during Johnny and Mavis's wedding. He is voiced by Bo Burnham

Samantha, or Sam is the wife of Brett. She does not appear in any of the films and is 3 months younger than Brett. She is 5'4, with a slender build and dark brunette hair. She has blue eyes that look similar to the picture of Martha. She is voiced by Carrie Underwood.

Jenna is Jonathan's younger sister. She is 4 years younger than Johnny, making her 17 at this time. She can be seen in HT2 as Mavis's bridesmaid who is cowering from the green monster while taking pictures. She is voiced by Becky G. Her name is courtesy of Sweetbury771

* * *

Chapter 14

Prophecy

"What could have Martha told you about him?" The woman on the phone asked to Griffin.

The invisible man had to be discreet. He was not aware of how many monsters that Martha had told, but if Jonathan was the human that she had spoken of, then it could be the start of an entirely new era for all humans and monsters. "She thought her daughter would have a great purpose in the world." He couldn't tell this potential friend the whole story until he could confirm some of the details that Martha had prophesied about the human who would end the fear between the two races.

"That's not everything," the woman said with a slight growl. "You're holding something back."

"I can say more when I confirm what I hope is true about him." Griffin really hoped that Jonathan was the one that Martha had spoken of, but there was something special about the human that Martha mentioned. "I have two weeks to confirm it. But, if I am wrong about him, then I fear our cause is impossible." Griffin had never before sounded so stoic in his life.

"When will you know?" The lady asked starting to sound nervous.

"Mavis and her boyfriend should be back here in a week, from what I have been told. I will ask her if she suspects anything about his lineage then."

"May the stars help you if you're wrong," she said slowly.

"If I'm wrong, then our struggle will never end. The fear and hatred might never cease. May the stars help us all indeed."

The two hung up their phones after this. Griffin was more worried than he ever had been before. He prayed that he was right about Jonathan; he had to be the one the Martha spoke of, or else the glorious day their cause sought would never come.

* * *

"Mavis, what's wrong?" Jenna asked her during the mid afternoon in her room. Jenna could tell that there was something bothering Mavis, and it was definitely more than just that evening's events.

Mavis had come to see Jenna as almost a sister, and she wanted to confide in her. However, this was impossible, since the rules still required discreteness about the parliament with non monsters. "I'm just a little nervous about tonight, I guess."

"Mavis, I've always been able to tell when someone is hiding something from me." Jenna went closer to Mavis, hugging her, "Please don't lie to me. I really want to help."

Mavis wanted to just admit what was troubling her. Her mother had told Jenna the whole truth about her in a dream; there had to be a reason why she thought that Jenna was ready to know about their kind. "It's just," Mavis started to say with tears filling her eyes, "I'm scared for Johnny."

Jenna had suspected that it involved her brother, but knew that she shouldn't pry too much. There may be things that Mavis just isn't ready to share yet, and Jenna had to respect that. "Why?" Jenna asked with a chuckle. "Johnny doesn't let anything bother him."

"I know," Mavis replied with a smile, "but this time may be different. We had hoped to be able to see New York and some of Europe before going home," Mavis frowned when she said going home, since it really wasn't his home yet. "But, we have to be back for something really important in about a week and a half."

"But why are you so scared about it?"

"Because if it doesn't go right, it could be really bad for Johnny."

"You're not going to try and turn him, are you?" Jenna looked right into Mavis's eyes, and was starting to tear up as well. "Your mom said that you wouldn't have to."

"I wish it was that simple," a small chuckle accompanying Mavis's words, "but it is much more dangerous than that. It's just," but she was interrupted by the door being flung open.

"Auntie Jenna, Auntie Mavis!" A boy was shouting at them.

Jenna just shook her head at him, "Troy, didn't anyone ever teach you to knock?"

Troy looked at her fearfully. "Sorry," he said with his head down.

Mavis just smiled at him, "It's okay. What's up?"

"Do you want to play?" with a smile returning to his face as he asked Mavis.

"She can't, Troy," Jenna answered. "She has to start getting ready to go out, but I can play with you. Just give me another minute with Mavis first."

"Okay," Troy said slightly disappointed, as he left Jenna's room.

"Kids," Jenna said sounding slightly disgusted while shaking her head, "what can you do?"

"Just be glad there's only one of him," Mavis chuckled as she thought of what a litter of wolf pups could do.

"There's not," Jenna answered with a smile returning to her face. "They have another boy, Parker."

"Will I get to meet him?" Mavis asked excitedly.

Jenna frowned, "No. He's with Sam's parents in Sacramento." Jenna pulled out her phone, and showed Mavis some of the pictures of Parker she had.

"How old is he?" Mavis asked as she hadn't yet figured out how human ages compared to a vampire's.

"He's a year and a half."

Mavis thought to what a vampire at two years would look like. One would look similar to the boy, as they age similarly to humans until when a vampire gets their fangs, then their aging slows significantly. "He's really cute!"

"Well, you better start getting ready. Dad wants to leave in about an hour, so just have a good time, sis."

The two girls shared one more embrace before Mavis left to go back to Jonathan's room. "Thanks, sis."

Everyone met in the family room shortly after sunset. They would all ride together to the bar, with the exception of Kent, who had left earlier. The men wore blue jeans and t-shirts, while the women varied their outfits. Mavis worn her usual outfit, while Sam wore a red skirt and black blouse. Linda wore tan slacks and a cream blouse.

On the ride over, Jonathan reminded Mavis that she was to tell anyone who asked how old she was, that she was 23 years old. That would confirm the age listed on her passport, and would lessen anyone's suspicion that she wasn't human. Mavis was a little concerned that if she would be exposed it could leave to a panic, but Jonathan wasn't going to allow her to worry about it. "We've had good luck so far. No reason to think it won't keep goin'." Jonathan hugged Mavis as he finished speaking.

Mavis was still worried. She still couldn't understand how Jonathan could be so nonchalant about almost everything. She whispered to him, "But how do you know?"

Jonathan leaned in close to Mavis and kissed her on the cheek, and whispered to her, "I don't, but I know when not to worry about things. This is one of those times; just roll with it." He wanted to tell her that having to appear before the parliament was something to worry about, but didn't want to upset her. He just kept his arm around her shoulder for the remainder of the trip.

The family arrived at the bar about 9:00, and there weren't many people there yet. No one was sure exactly how many people would be there that night. Mavis hoped that the turnout would be light, but was worried that she might accidentally expose herself. She hoped that Brett could help her to keep her true nature a secret, as he wanted to keep his secret also.

There was a sign-up sheet next to the DJ stand that Kent was working on, and Mavis was surprised to see her and Jonathan's names on them. She found Johnny and asked him in a demanding tone, "What exactly did you sign us up for?"

Jonathan didn't know either. He answered in a surprised voice, "What are you talking about?"

Mavis pointed at the piece of paper next to Kent.

They both went to look at it, and Jonathan laughed when he saw what it was for. Mavis wasn't amused. She snapped at him, "What's so funny?"

"Sorry, Mavy," he answered as he stopped laughing. "It's for a karaoke contest. It should be fun!"

"What's kari…," she was having issues pronouncing the word, and tried again, "kar-i-ok-i?"

Brett had seen them go up to the sheet, and looked at it himself. He then heard Mavis ask about it, and he saw that he had also been signed up. He recognized the handwriting and let out a small sigh before telling them, "Must of been mom," he said sounding slightly annoyed.

Mavis still looked confused at the two brothers, "But what is it?"

Brett answered her, "Dad always said that it is Japanese for 'drunk people singing very badly'." All three of them laughed at his answer. "Basically, you sing along to a song. It'll be fun." Brett looked at the list again and saw that he and Sam, in addition to their parents had been signed up as well. He chuckled as he recognized the handwriting, as it was Kent's.

Their brother had a chance to talk to them for a minute, as he could control his DJ equipment from his iPad. Kent saw that they looked upset at him, and figured it was because he had signed them up without telling them first. "Sorry," he said slowly, scared that Mavis might try to hurt him. "But Jenna heard you singing, Mavis. She said you have a great voice, and sunshine over here," he said pointing to Jonathan, "always sings in the shower."

"It's ok, I guess," Mavis answered. "But why didn't you ask first?"

Kent looked guilty, and said nervously, "It was mom's idea."

Jonathan just shook his head and said, "I should of known she was behind this." He looked at Mavis, and asked a little apprehensively, "If you don't want…"

Mavis cut him off. She had a smile on her face again, as she assumed she wanted them to get to know each other better. "It might be fun, but what do we sing?"

Kent gave them a list of several duets that he had in karaoke versions to consider. They went towards the back of the bar to discuss it. Meanwhile, Brett went to ask Sam about it. She had a reaction similar to Mavis; she only wished that Linda would have asked, but never the less was happy to do it. Sam loved to sing, and had tried out a few times for _American Idol_ , but never made the cut.

Shortly after 10:00, the crowd began to fill in, but there was still only about 60 people. This was Mavis's first time interacting with a large crowd of humans and was worried that someone might start a panic if someone found out what she really was. Jonathan would stay near her for most of the night, and hopefully he'd be able to diffuse any potential issues. Luckily, no one would even suspect there was anything different about Mavis, even though a few of the couples talked to her and Jonathan.

The karaoke contest began about an hour later. Linda and Mike, who was the least thrilled of anyone in the family about being "volunteered" for it, went first. They sang _Up Where We Belong_ by Joe Cocker and Jennifer Warnes. Despite the fact he didn't want to sing, Mike had a beautiful baritone voice, while Linda was a mezzo-soprano. They performed a beautiful rendition, apart from the fact that Mike was slightly off key.

Brett and Sam followed Brett's parents. They sang _It's Your Love_ by Faith Hill and Tim McGraw. Sam had a beautiful soprano voice, but unfortunately Brett was completely tone-deaf. There were many snickers because of the difference in their voices, but it was all in fun.

A few other couples went in before Mavis and Jonathan, but it was worth the wait, as the song they picked was beautifully performed. They sang _Somewhere Out There_ by Linda Ronstadt and James Ingram, and they nailed it. There weren't many dry eyes inside after they were done. As they finished the song, their eyes locked, and they shared one of the deepest kisses they had ever had. At that moment, they knew for certain that they belonged together, and they wouldn't let anyone keep them from being husband and wife. It wouldn't matter what the parliament would say.

As the bar was about to have last call, Jonathan wanted to sing one more song for Mavis. He chose to sing _Good Directions_ by Billy Currington. It seemed perfect to Jonathan, since it was completely by accident that he found the hotel, and not to mention Mavis. Had he not followed the "good directions" of Martha to the Castle Lubov, and then ultimately to the hotel, he would have never found Mavis. Jonathan knew that everything that had happened to him in the last year was all leading him to the moment that would take place in about two weeks. Martha wouldn't allow them to fail. They would be together forever, no matter what it would take.

The last song of the night, was sung by Mike. He chose I Would D _o Anything for Love, But I Won't Do That_ by Meatloaf. This was a song that was more his style, and it brought tears to everyone's eyes, especially when Linda joined him for the final few verses, with her questioning what he would do for her. (Bold text is Linda, Underlined is Mike)

 **Will you raise me up? Will you help me down?**  
 **Will you get me right out of this god forsaken town?**  
 **Will you make it all a little less cold?**

I can do that.  
I can do that.

 **Will you hold me sacred? Will you hold me tight?  
Can you colorize my life? I'm so sick of black and white!  
Can you make it all a little less old?**

I can do that.  
I can do that.

 **Will you make me some magic with your own two hands?  
Will you build an emerald city with these grains of sand?  
Can you give me something I can take home?**

I can do that.  
I can do that.

 **Will you cater to every fantasy I got?  
** **Will you hose me down with holy water if I get too hot?  
Will you take me places I've never known?**

I can do that.  
Oh, whoa I can do that.

 **After a while you'll forget everything,  
It was a brief interlude, and a midsummer night's fling.  
And you'll see that its time to move on.**

I won't do that.  
I won't do that.

 **I know the territory, I've been around.  
It'll all turn to dust, and we'll all be fall down.  
Sooner or later, you'll be screwing around.**

I won't do that.  
No, I won't do that

After Mike and Linda finished their song, Mavis knew exactly why Mike had picked it. It described how true zinging love had to be, and how no matter what, the two of them would be there for each other. Mavis was ready to commit to that. She was about certain that Jonathan would be as well. She vowed to tell him about turning him after the meeting of the committee. She knew that she wanted to be with him forever.


	15. Jonathan's Lineage

**Author's Note:** Hey guys. I wasn't planning on releasing this chapter, but I am really happy with it. There was a slight update to the end of the last chapter, so I would encourage everyone to check it out.

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Chapter 15

Jonathan's Lineage

Everyone slept in late the next morning, as they hadn't gotten home from the previous night's outing until about 4:00 AM. Mavis still couldn't believe how much fun that she had with all the humans at the bar. Not one of them even suspected there was anything different about her. She actually felt like she was now a part of Jonathan's family.

For the next two days, the family just kept asking questions of Mavis, trying to separate myths from facts about vampires and other monsters. It turned out, that there were still some monsters who hunted humans, but there weren't many left. Mavis wasn't sure if the inverse was true; if there were humans who still hunted monsters. Yes, most of the monsters in mythology do exist; from vampires, werewolves, leprechauns, Sasquatch, and many others. She knew of at least a few of most of the races of monsters.

The one question that kept being asked was of her father; did he really say "bleh-bleh-bleh"? Mavis laughed at the question, mainly because it annoyed the dickens out of her father. There wasn't a question that was off limits, and Jenna even asked about her mother. Jenna had instantly felt a connection to Martha, and it was strengthened when Martha told her that her family would make good vampires. Jenna hoped that Martha was right about that, because she really wanted to get to know Mavis better. Training with her to master vampiric powers would be a great way for the two of them to bond.

Late at night, when they could be alone, Mavis and Brett trained outside together. Mavis had taught him how to turn into a bat, and fly short distances. She had also shown him how to use his speed, and turn into a mist. Brett would turn into a reddish mist, and he wanted to try and prank Sam the last night Mavis would be with them. However, he realized that it would not be a good idea, since Sam still didn't know about his secret, and he didn't know how to explain it.

Mavis and Jonathan's flight from Oakland to New York left early in the morning. It had taken some work, but Jonathan was able to change their itinerary so they would fly straight back to Romania with only one layover, that being in Munich. During most of the flights, Mavis simply worried about what would happen if the parliament wouldn't allow them to be together. She had committed that no matter what, she would stay with Jonathan regardless of what would be required of her.

Jonathan simply pictured the day he hoped was to come very soon. He wanted monsters to be able to socialize with humans, even if not everyone, human or monster, would feel that way. He had heard of rumors that had spread around the hotel that since the Monster Festival the previous year that a few monsters actually began to socialize with humans. There were a few initial misunderstandings, but it didn't take long for friendships to be formed.

Mavis and Jonathan finally arrived in Brasov about 3:00 AM local time, and they were glad that Griffin and Dracula were there waiting on them. Dracula looked worried about something, while Griffin also had a guilty look on his face, even though they couldn't see it. The ride back to the hotel took about an hour, and was driven in almost complete silence.

Upon arriving at the hotel, all of Mavis's family was there to meet them. They had a lot of questions for the newly engaged, especially after Eunice notice the ring on her finger. "What's that?" She asked not knowing that Jonathan had planned to propose.

Mavis just smiled widely as she answered nonchalantly, while she raised her left hand to show them all the ring, "Just an engagement ring."

Eunice was ecstatic about it, although Wanda didn't react like her friend since she had known that he planned on doing during their trip. "Congratulations you two," Wanda simply said smiling. "Have you thought about a date yet?"

"Naw," Jonathan replied as he wrapped his right arm around Mavis's back, "But I hope we pull the trigger soon."

Dracula was extremely nervous about this. He knew better than almost anyone else what could happen if the parliament might be stubborn. If they didn't approve, the best case scenario for them would be that they make him erase Jonathan's memory of Mavis and all of his new friends. The worse case could be that they might sentence him to death for simply stumbling into their world. If this would be the case, all he could hope is they wouldn't force him to be the executioner.

Griffin didn't ask them any questions, as he was lost in his own thoughts. Did he do the right thing by setting up this hearing, or would it have been best to simply let them go on. He liked almost all the humans he had interacted with, although many didn't even know that he existed since he was invisible. He was certain that the debate needed to be had now, but could only hope that Jonathan was the one that Martha had spoke of.

The group went their separate ways shortly after daybreak. Griffin had to ask about his suspicions about Jonathan as soon as possible. He saw Mavis as she walked towards her room; it had to be done now. "Mavis, there's something I have to ask you," Griffin said very nervously.

"Yeah, Uncle Griffin?" Mavis asked, and was scared about what he might want. "What's up?"

Griffin wanted to try and hide his true intentions, but knew that if his hunch on Jonathan was correct, then he needed to know. "Is there something special about Johnny?"

Mavis didn't know what her uncle was wanting to know, but was getting terrified because of the way he asked. "You mean besides being my zing?" Griffin just looked at her still worried about what the answer would be, but Mavis wouldn't elaborate any more.

"I think you know exactly what I mean," Griffin replied stoically. Mavis still just looked at him unsure of what he was asking, but was starting to figure it out. Griffin placed one of his arms around her neck and asked seriously, "Is he completely human?"

Mavis was scared that she might violate her promise. She had sworn to Mike that she wouldn't reveal anything he told her about Jacob, but also knew that there had to be a reason why her uncle was asking this. She knew she only had one way out, and that was to walk as tight of a line between lying and hiding the truth. "Uhh," she started nervously, "I just … can't… tell you."

Normally, Griffin would have respected his niece's stand, but he had to have the answer. "Mavis, you don't understand," he said even softer. "I have to know. It's crucial."

Mavis was now seriously conflicted. She had promised not only Mike, but also Jenna to not tell anyone. However, she had never heard Griffin sound so serious about anything in his life. "I can't," she pleaded with him. "I promised I would say anything." Mavis had just admitted it even though, just like Jenna, she hadn't intended to.

Griffin just smiled at her, gently stroking her hair. "Mavis, I have to know. If he is human, then I can stop the testimony. If he isn't, then I really need to know."

Mavis was confused. She thought out loud, "How could you cancel it, unless." She had figured everything out. He was the one who had snitched on them. "How could you!" she growled at him, exposing her fangs. "I thought you were my family!"

"Mavis, calm down," Griffin pleaded with her. "It's not what you think."

Mavis was still furious with him. Her eyes turned blood red, and her fangs grew in length. "I finally find my zing, and you want to rip him away from me!" she snapped at him, not hiding the anger and betrayal she felt.

Even though Mavis couldn't see it, Griffin was tearing up. "Mavis, I can explain. Please?"

Mavis still looked disgusted at him. "How could you possibly explain this?"

Griffin knew that he had to come completely clean with her. She had to hear everything. "Mavis, yes, I set up your appearance." Mavis simply looked at him in tears. "But I have a really good reason."

Mavis scoffed at him. "Don't tell me that you're doing it for my safety!" she said now so mad at her uncle that her fingernails had grown into six inch long claws.

"No, Mavis. It's not for your safety, but to end the separation between our kinds."

"What?" She asked now completely stunned by what she heard. Her eyes returned to their usual color. Mavis inquired, now unsure of what Griffin's true motivations are, "What do you mean?"

"Your mother told me shortly before her death that the one who would end the fear between us would be part monster and part 'the most mortal enemy of monsters'." He said the last part displaying air quotes, even though Mavis couldn't see them. "Do you know if either of those descriptions fit Johnny?"

Mavis still couldn't answer. She wanted to admit it, even though she had partly disclosed the truth by not denying it. But if it meant that it could lead to them being together, then she had to tell him the truth. "Yes!"

"Which part?" Mavis just looked at him nervously, so Griffin elaborated on what he wanted to know, "Which one do you know is true."

"He's part vampire, but it it way back in his past."

Griffin was relieved to hear this. This meant that it was highly likely that Jonathan was the one the Martha had mentioned. "Thank the stars!" He shouted relieved.

"Why?" Mavis was worried about what this could mean.

"This means that he's the one your mother spoke of. He will be the one to unite us!" Mavis was still unsure of exactly what he was saying. "He will be the example of what can be between monsters and humans; full integration and friendships, and maybe even romance."

Dracula had heard that there was someone still having a conversation, even though most of the guests had long since gone to sleep. He found Griffin and Mavis standing in the hallway, with Mavis's eyes still red from her tears, and immediately went into overprotective mode. "What did you do to my daughter?" He snapped at the invisible man bearing his claws.

"He didn't do anything, dad," Mavis answered trying to cover for her uncle. "He just was explaining something."

Dracula looked terrified at her. He wasn't sure what they could have been talking about, but didn't think that it was good. "I should have known better than to trust you!" he snapped at Griffin. "Never trust anyone you can't see."

"Drac, please," Griffin pleaded, "it's not what you think."

"I know all about you, Griffin; you're a M.P.," Dracula snorted at his former friend. "I should have guessed that you were behind this!" He added while handing Mavis her subpoena.

"I swear," Griffin said, "it's not what you think."

Dracula scoffed again at his former friend, "Why not? Are you not still a Separatist?"

"No," he countered, which stunned his friend. Dracula had never thought that a M.P. might change their affiliation. "After the Monster Festival, I changed to an Integrationist. I knew then that they were right."

"But why did you do this?" Dracula asked pointing at the subpoena in Mavis's right hand.

"Because my defection made the Safety Committee ready for this debate. All we have to do is change one mind on it." Griffin didn't mention that one of the members of the committee would still be a "Supremacist", and they would be unlikely to change his mind.

Mavis began to put all the pieces together. "So there's a chance that it'll work out?"

"I hope so, Mavis," the invisible man told her, as she felt him stroke her hair. "I sure hope so."

Just then, Jonathan walked out of his room, which was down the hall from Mavis's. He had heard Mavis talking to someone, but wasn't sure who. He saw Dracula standing there, but was unaware that Griffin was there as well, as he removed his glasses when he heard a door open. "Hey guys," he said groggily. Jonathan looked as if he was awoken from a deep slumber, while wearing a pair of plaid flannel footy pajamas. His hair looked even more disheveled than normal. "What's going on?"

Mavis wanted to tell Jonathan everything, but knew that she couldn't. It was a felonious offense to disclose the identity of a member of parliament to a human, even though Jonathan knew of many of their kind, and had been subpoenaed. She had to lie to him, despite the fact she felt betrayed by Griffin. "Just talking about what to expect next week," she answered while looking at her shoes.

Jonathan suspected that she was not being completely truthful. However, he knew that she probably had reasons to keep him slightly in the dark. "Yeah, there's a couple of things I'd like to know, Mavy, like where will this be."

"It will be here, Jonathan," Dracula answered. "The parliament regularly has meetings here."

Griffin put his glasses back on, and acted like he just arrived. "Oh, hey guys!" feigning a greeting, but continued on what Dracula had said, while trying not to reveal that he was a M.P. "The parliament likes to get background on its witnesses, so we can know what we're dealing with." Griffin face-palmed as he completed his sentence, as he was coming dangerously close to admitting his membership.

"Drac, there's something that's been buggin' me. How did they even know about me?" He remembered that Dracula had insisted that he keep a low profile around the hotel when some guests were present. Mavis had been his liaison into being introduced to monsters who were ready to meet a human, but they never pushed any of the monsters.

Griffin couldn't hold back anymore. Jonathan had to know the whole truth. "It's my fault," Griffin admitted not able to hold back tears anymore. "Johnny, I told them, but I hope you can understand." Jonathan just looked at his glasses, and was waiting for a further explanation. "You have to be the one to unite us. I know that's your destiny!"

"More with my destiny?" Jonathan quipped while chuckling. He looked at Mavis, who still was showing that she was hurt, and he went to her to hold her. "Why me?"

"Because you're special," Griffin replied. "Because you have…"

Mavis cut him off, giving him a scowl. She mouthed the words, "He can't know." She looked into Jonathan's eyes, saying, "Because you're my zing." she said as she kissed him on the cheek. "It has to be someone who zings with a monster that unites our two kinds."

Jonathan smiled at Mavis. "I'd do anything for you Mavis." He leaned in close to her right ear and whispered, "I love you." Jonathan gave Mavis a kiss on the forehead, and returned to his room. He thought back to the song his father sang when they were still in California, as he repeated the line, singing, "I can do that, oh I can do that!"

They waited for him to return to his room, before Mavis looked at Griffin angrily. "He can't know!" she snorted. "I'm not even supposed to know. His ancestor felt bad for me, and allowed me to be told, but he doesn't want anyone else to. Is that CLEAR?!" Mavis deliberately enunciated the last word to stress her point.

"Crystal," Griffin answered. He knew there was nothing he could say to make her change her mind. Griffin bid them a pleasant rest, and returned to his room. They had already planned to hold the hearing in the hotel, but now Griffin was nervous that some of the members might reveal the prophecy before they testified. He would have to let his allies know that the human was not to know of it. As for the others, they didn't believe in it anyway. They wouldn't like to see him any more than they'd have to.


	16. The Committee

**Author's Note:** New OC's

Methusa is a gorgon, and is the only daughter of Medusa from Greek mythology. She is 2214 years old, but looks to be the same age as Jonathan and Mavis. She is a MP, representing Greece and the mythological creatures. She wears modern clothing, preferring black jeans and t-shirts in darker colors. She is voiced by Angelina Jolie.

Mikhail Tarasenko is a vampire, and a distant cousin of Martha. He is 588, making him slightly older than Dracula. He has dark brown hair, and stands slightly shorter than Dracula. He generally prefers to wear a 3 piece suit, with a dark blue shirt, and only when it is absolutely necessary, will he wear a cloak. He is voiced by Dolph Lundgren.

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Chapter 16

The Committee

The next week dragged slowly by. There were some new guests who checked into the hotel in anticipation of the debate that was to be had. Mavis was curious who would be on the committee. Griffin had told them that the membership would consist of three Integrationists, three Separatists, and one Supremacist, although it was possible that they wouldn't send a representative. He had also told Mavis, in the event of a deadlock, that the current policy would be upheld.

Two days before the scheduled hearing, Mavis caught Griffin talking to a new guest. While she was talking with Jonathan in the lobby, Jonathan thought that she recognized the new guest. She looked to be about Mavis's age, but instead of hair, there were several snakes coming out of her head. "Is that Medusa?" Jonathan asked to Mavis.

Mavis just shrugged at him, since she didn't know many of the monsters that didn't come to the hotel regularly. Luckily, Dracula had heard Jonathan's question, and raced towards him and Mavis. "That's Methusa," Dracula informed them. "I think she is a M.P. from Greece."

"She looks a lot like Medusa from ancient Greek mythology."

"That's because Medusa was her mother," Dracula told them, looking slightly nervous. He had heard that she had better control over her powers than her mother did, but was still afraid to introduce Jonathan to her.

Griffin noticed that Dracula, Jonathan, and Mavis were standing together. He figured that they should meet some of their allies, who all dreamed of the same thing that they also hoped for. The two committee members walked across the lobby, meeting up with the two vampires and Jonathan on the stairs. Jonathan tried to avert his glance, as he was worried that he might be turned into stone if he looked directly at the gorgon.

"What are you doing?" Methusa asked Jonathan sounding slightly insulted.

"Umm," Jonathan said scared that he might be offending this new guest. He accidentally looked right into the eyes of Methusa, but nothing happened to him. "What is going on?"

Methusa looked at him with gentle eyes, and a smile on her face. "I'm not my mother," she said though her voice sounded irritated at him.

"Classic human paranoia," Dracula said chuckling, trying to diffuse the situation. "Jonathan, she can control herself."

"Really," Jonathan said apologetically. "Sorry," he added starting to chuckle remembering when he first found out that all of the monsters were real, and him being afraid of Dracula. "Just thought that I would be in trouble if I looked at you." Mavis looked at him while thinking, _If you don't stop staring at her, you will be_. Jonathan smiled politely and said, "You're really pretty." Mavis scowled at him when Jonathan told Methusa this.

The gorgon blushed at Jonathan's comment, while the snakes on her head still scrambled around, looking like they wanted to be petted. "Thanks, Johnny," she said softly as she reached out her right hand to shake his. Jonathan took it, but didn't shake. Rather, he kissed the back of her hand. Mavis scowled even more as she glared at him. "My, what a gentleman," she added, impressed at his manners

"That's me," Jonathan commented chuckling. He turned his glance back to Mavis, who was obviously mad at him. He cowered a little from her glance, but Dracula helped Jonathan diffuse the situation.

"Mavy, that's part of being a gentleman," Dracula told his daughter. "That is simply a polite way to greet a lady." Mavis looked a little less upset at Jonathan, but still glared at him.

"So I guess you're on our side?" Jonathan asked still unsure about why Griffin would be talking to her.

"I am," Methusa answered, "I was one of the first who thought our races could be friends." Jonathan was relieved and let out a sigh upon hearing her answer. Methusa looked at Mavis, telling her, "And, I owe your mother a lot for showing me that it was okay to express it."

"My mom?" Mavis asked suddenly forgetting about what happened mere minutes ago. "How?"

"Shortly before she met your father, she began going around trying to convince some of the more moderate monsters that it was a possibility. I was one of the first she found, mainly because I live in Greece."

"But you look way too young to have met Mavis's mom," Jonathan added, sounding not sure if he belonged in the conversation.

"Thanks, Johnny," Methusa complimented him, "but my kind live even longer than vampires. Gorgons can live to over 8,000 years old, so in reality, I'm in about the same place in my life span that you guys are."

"So how old are you?" Jonathan asked, but instantly face-palmed. He knew better than to ever ask a woman her age. "Sorry, just…" but he cut off by Methusa.

"It's okay," she answered sounding like she wasn't insulted at all by the question. "Humans are curious, and that's one of the reasons I fell in love with them. I'm 2,214."

"You love humans?" Mavis asked. "Do you love them in general, or was there one that was your zing?"

"I don't think we zinged, since I was too young at the time. But when I was 1,220, I met a human boy who was about 13, and we became good friends. It was with his help that I became not only able to control my powers, but to reverse them if," she paused for a second, with an embarrassed look appearing on her face, "if it accidentally happened. He was more than willing to help me, and trusted me with his life," Methusa said with a large smile appearing on her face as she thought of her friend. "I never did thank him enough for that, not that I could have even if he lived for centuries like your kind," she added looking at Mavis.

"So then," Jonathan asked, "who's the third guy on our side?"

"That would be me," said someone in a deep Russian voice.

Dracula looked at this new arrival, who still was in the form of a bat. It was obvious to him that this stranger was a vampire as well, but he couldn't quite place his finger on who he was until he turned back into his vampire form. "Mikhail!" Dracula exclaimed upon seeing his old friend. "I haven't seen you for at least a couple of centuries. How have you been?"

"Good, especially since the tensions between the east and west have thawed, not that Siberia has," Mikhail added with a deep laughter permeating the lobby at his joke, which brought a smile to all them standing together. They had moved into the restaurant since they met Methusa, and were seated at a large table, with drinks being served to them. Jonathan had a soda, while Mavis, Dracula, and Mikhail drank Blood Beaters. The other two simply drank water.

"I'm sorry," Dracula said slightly embarrassed, looking at Mavis and Jonathan, "this is Mikhail Tarasenko. He's an old friend from Russia." Dracula turned his glance to his friend, while Jonathan had given him a friendly wave. Mavis still looked confused at him. Dracula added, "I never thought a vampire would be on our side."

"Really," Mikhail said thinking that Dracula had forgotten something about him. "Did you forget that Martha was a distant cousin of mine?" In truth, Dracula had forgotten. They were very distant cousins, and Martha never really talked about her family. "I was one of the few vampires she was able to convince to give humans a chance."

"But how did you not change your mind after she was killed?" Dracula was completely surprised. Martha had changed him from a Supremacist to a Separatist, but it had taken a lot of work; she never would be able to convince him to go all the way to being an Integrationist. His father had done a good job of convincing Dracula that humans were just like cattle, and there only for the sustenance of monster kind.

"She had sensed that her belief might cost her dearly, and that her life might be the price." Dracula looked guilty, since this had been the reason he was in Hawaii when he met Martha. "I found out only recently that the committee were the ones who told those cursed hunters where to find her. I never thought that they would be willing to use the van Helsings to enforce their edicts, but," he couldn't finish his sentence since he didn't know if Mavis was aware of what Dracula had done for a living before meeting Martha, and Jonathan couldn't know about the inner workings of the parliament. He just said quietly, almost below a whisper, "I think you know why they did that."

Unfortunately, Mavis had heard his comment also. "What did they do?" She asked her father, almost ashamed of what the answer was. She remembered that her father had told her that he needed permission to reveal some things in his past. She would have to ask him about it later, as the look on her father's face revealed that he was either too embarrassed or scared to talk about it right now.

Dracula whispered to Mavis, "I'll tell you later." He couldn't allow Jonathan to hear the truth at the present time. It would expose secrets of the committee that were forbidden to be disclosed to non-monsters under penalty of death.

Mavis wouldn't ask any more, because she saw how much it pained her father. "Who are the van Helsings?" Mavis asked.

"They were the most feared monster hunters in the world," Mikhail answered in a grave voice. "I am not sure if their clan in still in existence, but a century ago, they would offer their services for the highest bidder."

"They sound like mercenaries!" Jonathan exclaimed, ashamed that humans would do that.

"That's exactly what they were," Dracula said, "but I still don't understand why the committee would have hired them to kill a monster." Only Dracula did know, as that was previously would have been his responsibility, before he suddenly resigned his duties.

Since all of their allies were present, Jonathan wanted to know what to expect. He suspected that Mavis and Dracula would want to as well. "So, Griff, how's this gonna work?"

Griffin wasn't completely sure, since he had only been a M.P. for a few years, while the other two had much more seniority than him. Methusa explained for them, "I know there will be verbal testimony, but that will be the least important aspect of the hearing. What will be more important is how you interact with all the monsters." She frowned as she told them, "Unfortunately, we cannot tell any of you who the other members of the committee are until the verbal testimony, when you will see them yourselves."

"Just be yourself, Johnny," Griffin told him. "If they get to see the real you, like we all did, they won't be able to say no."

Dracula was a little worried about this. Some monsters were very 'old school' and might not like some of the activities that Jonathan would try to engage in, but he knew Griffin was right. With Dracula hiding Jonathan's humanity, his friends were able to find out that they liked him for himself, and it made it easier for them to accept the fact that he was human.

Mavis remembered what they had tried to do with Jonathan's family in much the same way. Jenna liked her instantly, but she had already known the truth about Mavis. And Troy, also trusted her immediately, although he was a little scared when he discovered the truth. The rest of his family freaked out when they learned that she was a vampire, just like her extended family did when they learned the truth about Jonathan. In the end, she kind of expected what had happened.

The next night, Jonathan tried to do exactly what Methusa suggested he should, and that was be as friendly as he could, but not to force himself on anyone who wasn't ready to talk to him. He stood in the lobby, greeting guests as they checked in. He even helped behind the desk when it was busy, which helped him meet a few monsters he hadn't before. Several of the monsters realized that they might have been wrong about all humans, as this ginger boy was very polite and helpful.

Shortly after midnight, the surge at the lobby had died down, and Jonathan went to find Mavis. She was in her room, laying on her bed. He knocked on the door and she asked him to come in. He hated seeing her looking the way she looked; which was very nervous. Jonathan knew exactly why she was so. "What's up, Mavy?" He asked her after sitting next to her on her bed.

"I was just thinking about," Mavis said as she sat up only to have Jonathan place his left arm around her shoulders, pulling her closer to him, "what if they won't allow us to be together." Mavis blushed as she said, "Especially since we haven't … well, you know," she finished speaking as she winked at him.

Jonathan could only stutter as he turned beet red, the color on his face almost matching his hair, which just made Mavis laugh at him.

"Come on, Johnny," she said seductively to him, "don't you want to?"

Jonathan was sure he was being 'punk'd'. He was wondering what was going on with Mavis, as she had only acted like this with him once, and that was after Wanda had the talk with her. "You have no idea how much I do, but," he said to her, but couldn't finish his thought when he saw her face.

Mavis was almost in tears as her advances were being rebuked. She didn't want to go through her life never having been intimate with her zing, in the event that they would expel him from their world. "You don't love me!" She shouted at him.

"Mavis, don't be silly," Jonathan said softly while grabbing a tissue from her nightstand so he could wipe away her tears. "You're way out of my league. I love you more than I can ever tell you, but," he was interrupted by Mavis again.

"But why don't you want to sleep with me?"

Jonathan took a deep breath, but knew why he couldn't. His mother had told him that if he wasn't completely ready to do it, they couldn't. "You have no idea how much I want to, but I can't give you my mind right now. I'm distracted by the hearing, and I don't want to ruin our first time by not having it be," he paused while he searched for the right word, "I want it to be perfect, and if I can't give you my body, heart, mind, and soul, then I'm not ready." He leaned in close, kissing her on the forehead before leaning to her ear whispering, "And neither are you."

Mavis gasped as she remembered what Wanda had told her, and apparently Jonathan's mother had told him almost the same thing. It was obvious to her that Jonathan desperately wanted to sleep with her, but he wasn't ready to be intimate, and the truth was neither was she. They would cuddle together for a few hours, before they went to the restaurant to socialize with the guests. They both had some convincing to do, and any time they could spend together would be precious, since they didn't know what would happen the next night.

Even though Dracula was in his study, he had heard the whole exchange between his daughter and Jonathan, and he was even more impressed with the wisdom of the human. He could not let their cause fail. He had total trust in the human, since no one would have rejected the chance to have sex with someone they cared for, for the reason he gave unless they truly belonged together.

* * *

Please review. Next few chapters are going to be a little darker.


	17. Dracula's Past

Chapter 17

Dracula's Past

Before Dracula went to sleep the day before the hearing, he had to tell Mavis about some things that could come up during the hearing the next night. He had been assured by their allies that they would try as much as possible to not bring any of the 'unwanted topics' up in front of the human, but they couldn't guarantee their opposition wouldn't. Dracula wanted to make sure Mavis knew about the dark secrets he held in his past, including why he was on such bad terms with his father.

He approached Mavis as she was going to her room after dinner, and said, "Mavy, I must tell you some things that I have hidden for centuries, things you might hear tomorrow."

Mavis knew that there were things he had kept secret, but she knew better than to ask about them. She just looked at him with a frightened expression, afraid that he might tell her things that could be crushing to the chance of them opening the hotel to humans. Mavis followed her father to his room, and they sat on the top of his coffin, with neither of them speaking for about five minutes before Mavis asked, "So what is it that you 'must tell me'," with her displaying air quotes for the final words.

Dracula took a deep breath, and asked his daughter, "Tell me what you know about me."

Mavis simply looked quizzically at her father. She had never expected to be asked about what she knew, as she never could separate fact from myth with him. "I don't know. Just that you're my dad, and you used to drink human blood, but don't anymore."

"Is that all?" He asked almost afraid of what else she might had heard from some of the humans she had associated with during her trip.

"I didn't pay any attention to the myths, and didn't listen to most of them," Mavis said as she shrugged her shoulders.

Dracula was embarrassed, but knew he had to let her know his whole story. "You see, Mavis, my name at my birth was Vladislav Dracula the IV. I was named after my father, Vladislav Dracula the III, but he is better know as either Vlad Tepes or Vlad the Impaler. He was a ruthless ruler who fought the bloodiest battles he could. He truly lived by the motto, 'take no prisoners', and he would slaughter people through the most brutal and horrific ways he could. After being exiled for the third time, he used dark magic to summon an evil snake like creature, to whom he traded his soul for infinite power and strength. In an odd move, the creature turned him into a vampire, which added to his bloodlust, although he never regained the throne of Transylvania."

Mavis just looked at her father more afraid of him than she ever had been before. "Why are you telling me this?"

Dracula just looked sympathetically at his daughter, stroking her hair. "Because it might come up tomorrow." He took a deep breath as he prepared to continue. "I was not born a vampire, but I was one of the first that my father successfully turned into one." He lowered the collar of his cloak exposing two canine bite marks on the right side of his neck. "My mother was the first he attempted to turn, but he failed." Dracula had tears forming in his eyes as he told his daughter about his mother.

"My father had drawn out too much of her blood, before forcing her to feed on his. I watched my own mother die as I witnessed my father drink her blood." He looked over at Mavis who was in tears. She now understood why he was on such bad terms with his father, and also why he was so reluctant to tell her about turning Jonathan. "My father had turned me into a monster, and he convinced me that humans were there for nothing but our needs. I fed on many of them, before it started to disgust me. I had slaughtered a whole village when I was about your age, Honeybat, before the screams of a girl who looked to be about the same age I looked stopped me mid bite. I saw my reflection in her eyes, and I hated what I saw. I left my homeland that night and set out to find a more peaceful use for my … talents."

Dracula had joined Mavis in tears as he could have sworn he heard someone enter, but couldn't see anyone. Unknown to them, a black bat had entered his room, and was perched in an ideal spot so he would be undetectable. "What did you do?" Mavis asked her father.

"I presented myself to one of the M.P.'s and offered my services as a bailiff and worse." Mavis was terrified of what 'and worse' could mean. "I was one of the chief enforcers of the parliament's edicts. At that time, the Supremacists still held a majority, and they were ruthless in their punishments."

"Did you," but Mavis couldn't bring herself to ask what she was thinking, as she was crying uncontrollably.

Dracula knew exactly what she wanted to know. "Yes," he said coldly, "I killed many, humans and monsters. I didn't need a reason. If the parliament sentenced someone to death, I would carry it out, without question."

Something drew Mavis's mind to her mother, especially after what Mikhail had said the last night. "Is that why you were in Hawaii?"

Normally Dracula would have been proud of Mavis for saying the name right, but this was no time for such relief. Yet again, Dracula could only answer coldly and impersonally, "Yes. The parliament sentenced her to death for simply promoting the cause of integration. You see, at that time, the Supremacists were still trying to hold onto the majority, so they tried to stop anyone who could have cost them seats. I had searched for her for three nights, before we ran into each other. In a cruel twist of fate, we zinged, and I knew that I couldn't go on in the duties I had very next night I resigned my post and I vowed to protect your mother from anyone who might come to fulfill the death sentence." Dracula thought of what Mikhail had told them earlier.

"But, I never thought that the parliament would use humans as executioners, let alone that cursed clan as they did for your mother." He thought for a minute as Dracula remembered the night after the raid on Martha's family's castle, and to what Jonathan had told them about the encounter with Martha's spirit at the ruins thereof. "Jonathan claims to be related to the one who killed your mother, which would mean he is not only part vampire, but part van Helsing."

Mavis gasped as she remembered the entire bloodline of the one whom was predicted to unite the two races. "We have to tell Griffin!" She shouted to her father. "It's urgent." Mavis ran at a vampiric sprint to Griffin's room.

The bat who had hidden came into Dracula's sight. He was relieved that it was Mikhail, but was still upset at his friend for eavesdropping. "I see you told her everything," Mikhail said stating it in a 'matter of fact' tone, but not gloating at all about it.

Dracula growled softly at his friend, but in the end knew that he was one of the three who would understand why he had to tell her. "She had to know," Dracula simply told his friend.

"I know, but now we have also confirmed the second part of Martha's prophecy."

Dracula just looked at him, as he hadn't heard what Griffin had told Mavis. "What do you mean, 'the second part'?"

"You shall find out later," Mikhail told his friend. The three committee members had made a pact that they wouldn't reveal the prophecy unless absolutely necessary, and it wasn't necessary for Dracula to know the entire truth at this time. "Where did your daughter go?"

"She practically told the whole floor," Dracula joked with his friend. "I'm just glad that there is no one on the committee in this wing of the hotel." Dracula invited his friend for one last drink before they would retire for the day on the eve of the hearing.

Mavis sprinted as fast as she could to Griffin's room, which was down the hall from her room and also Jonathan's room. She was lost in her thoughts and she didn't see Jonathan standing outside of her room until it was too late for her to stop. She accidentally crashed into him, although she was able to scrub off enough of her speed so she didn't hurt him too badly.

"Ohh, my head hurts," Jonathan moaned as he began to attempt to stand, but Mavis was still lying on top of him. He wrapped his arms around her, and kissed her on the forehead which appeared to revive Mavis. She began to stir, and they embraced as they both helped the other back to their feet. They didn't realize that Griffin's door had opened and someone was standing over them as they rose.

"You two look so cute together," a woman's voice said, as she came outside, revealing who it was. Methusa just looked at them as they both entered Griffin's room.

"Mavis, why were you running?" Jonathan asked her while still rubbing his head.

Mavis remembered what she had to tell her uncle, but didn't know if she could tell Jonathan. She said to him, "Sorry, but I have to tell Uncle Griffin something." Jonathan just waited for her to tell him. She shot him a suggestive glance that was asking Jonathan to leave, but he didn't move. Mavis shook her head at Jonathan, thinking, _Holy Rabies, can he be dense_. "In private," she said slightly annoyed that she actually had to tell him.

"Sorry," Jonathan apologized as he slapped his forehead with his palm. "I get it; important monster stuff." He kissed Mavis on her left cheek before he left. "I love you, Mavy."

"I love you too, Johnny." Jonathan went into his room, and Mavis could finally tell Griffin what her father had told her. "You're right about Johnny!" Mavis shouted to her uncle.

"What do you mean?" Methusa asked her.

"Johnny, he's," she didn't know how to explain it to them.

"He's what, Mavis?" Griffin asked her, while she could feel one of his hands on her right shoulder. "Is it about the prophecy?"

Mavis nodded her head. "Johnny said he was related to the man who killed my mom." Both Griffin and Methusa gasped at the realization, as they knew exactly what this meant. "He's related to the," Mavis quoted her uncle, "the most mortal enemy of monsters."

"Are you sure?" Methusa asked, with Mavis nodding in response. "How do you know?"

"Johnny had said he was related to the man who killed my mom." Mavis was almost ashamed to admit it, but said coldly, "He's related to the van Helsings."

While both Griffin and Methusa were stunned, but they were also ecstatic that the whole prophecy had been confirmed. They were now certain in the success of the hearing, although they didn't know how the other members of the committee would come to see that they were correct.

The next night, the hearing was scheduled to start at 10:00 PM. Jonathan had asked since he returned what he would be expected to wear. Dracula repeatedly told him to just look respectful and presentable. He decided to wear a brown turtleneck, with khaki trousers. He also would wear the jacket that he had worn as part of the 'Johnnystein' disguise. Mavis and Dracula would both wear what they normally would, except that Mavis also sported the cape she had made for her last birthday. Dracula had explained that most monsters had certain articles of clothing they were expected to wear formally, and vampires were expected to wear a cloak or cape.

Jonathan just smiled at Mavis as she walked into the ballroom, which looked more like a courtroom for the proceedings. "You look beautiful," he whispered to Mavis as she sat next to him.

Mavis smiled at Jonathan, and whispered back, "And you look very handsome." The two held hands as they awaited the members of the committee to enter. There were nameplates in front of six of the seven seats. As they had expected, it looked as if the Supremacists hadn't bothered to send a representative.

Jonathan looked at the nameplates and read them off, in addition to what kind of monster they were and where they were from. He focused on the three he knew first. "Griffin, Miscellaneous Monsters, England; Methusa, Mythological Monsters, Greece; Mikhail, Vampires, Russia". He then turned to the other three, "Champ, Sea Monsters, Vermont, United States; Carlos, Dog Monsters, Peru". The last one he looked at was in the middle of the table, "Sesshomaru, Chairman, Demonic Monsters, Japan". After seeing the name, Jonathan turned to Dracula, asking him, "Is that who I think it is?"

"You know the chairman?" Dracula asked.

Jonathan pulled out his phone and opened a copy of the _Inuyasha_ manga showing Dracula an image of the characterized version of Sesshomaru. "Is that him?"

Dracula just laughed at the image, "It's close, but he's a lot older than that now." Dracula remembered what Griffin had told him; that their side had done a lot of work with human media to try and lessen the fear between the races. It was possible that this "Inu-yessa" might have been a part of it.

Unfortunately Dracula would not have any more time to ponder about it, because as soon as thought hit him, the doors behind the raised platform opened. The entire room stood in anticipation of the committee entering, except for Jonathan, who only rose as he was elbowed in the side by Frank, who was sitting on his right.

As the committee entered, the final thought that came to Jonathan was, _It looks like a firing squad. Ok, tough guy, time to face the executioners._


	18. No Greater Love

**Author's Note: New OC's**

Carlos is a chupacabra from Peru. He looks like a grey hairless dog, with a spinal ridge running down the center of his back. He stands 3'8" (1.1m) when standing upright, but normally walks on all fours. He had sharp, jagged teeth, similar to Wayne. He is voiced by Benjamin Bratt.

Champ, or the Lake Champlain Monster, hails from Vermont, United States. He looks similar to the Loch Ness Monster, aka Nessie or Vanessa who had previously served in the parliament before retiring two decades prior. He looks like a green Brachiosaurus. When his neck is fully extended, he is 80' (24.4m) from tail to head, with his head 60' (18.3m) from the ground. He is voiced by Gabriel Damon (Littlefoot from _The Land Before Time_ ).

Sesshomaru, is not an OC, but rather one of the chief secondary characters from the manga and anime series _Inuyasha_. He is the full-demon, half-brother of the title character. He has aged significantly from the end of that series, and is now 635 years old, and appears about the same age as Dracula. Other than looking older, he still looks largely the same as the anime. For this story, he eventually zinged with Rin, and they had two half-demon daughters. He is voiced by Davis Kaye, who was the voice of him in the anime.

* * *

Chapter 18

No Greater Love

The committee entered the ballroom, and the chairman, Sesshomaru invited everyone to be seated. Champ, who served as sergeant-at-arms read the agenda for the meeting, "The fifth meeting of the Safety Committee during the 52nd session of the Parliament of the Monster Commonwealth, is scheduled to decide the fate of Vladislav Dracula IV, Mavis Dracula, and Jonathan Loughran, a human." Champ did not hide the disdain he held for the human when he read his name. "In addition the safety and security of the Hotel Transylvania will be discussed, since it was discovered by a human."

Sesshomaru invited Dracula to give the opening statement, since all of the topics involved him in some way. Dracula rose, and gave a respectful bow to the committee, saying formally, "Good evening, my fellow monsters, and may it please the committee," he paused while he waited for a nod from the chairman. "In the past nine months, my hotel was discovered by a very adventurous human, Jonathan Loughran," Dracula said as he pointed his left hand at the boy before continuing, "who zinged with my daughter," as he now pointed his hand at Mavis, "and they are now betrothed." Dracula smiled as he realized how happy their upcoming nuptials would have made Martha. "If there is one thing that this boy has taught me, it is that love is a free market. Two that are meant to be will find each other, as long as they are free to search. I couldn't be any happier that my daughter has found such a wonderful young man, with whom she wishes to spend eternity." Dracula saw that Mavis grimaced at his last sentence, as she still hadn't told him about the possibility of turning the boy into a vampire. "All of the monsters on this dais now view the human as a dear friend, and they are here to vouch for his character. I believe that it would be wrong to force him away from my daughter. Furthermore, I believe it would be a mistake to not attempt to integrate our two societies in at least a few controlled environments, and I believe that this hotel could be one of the best opportunities for that to happen. Thank you."

Dracula returned to his seat as there was a small amount of applause in the audience. Sesshomaru went down the row of witnesses, asking if any of them wished to expand on what Dracula had said, and nobody did. Dracula had expressed their views so well that only the last one to be asked rose to speak. Before Jonathan was able to speak, Carlos aggressively shouted out, "This is preposterous! Why should we listen to him? Humans still hunt our kind," glaring at Jonathan as he said his harsh words.

There were numerous shouts of, "here-here," in the gallery, but Sesshomaru banged a gavel that was placed to his right to quiet the crowd, saying forcefully, "One more outburst like that, and I'll clear the room!" This was more than just an idle threat, as there would certainly be punishment for anyone who was expelled from a meeting of the committee. "My apologies, Mr. Loughran," Sesshomaru added, sounding sincere in his apology. "Please proceed."

Jonathan arose nervously, and might not have found the strength to speak were it not for the fact that Mavis still held his hand, and had risen with him. They were some jeers from the crowd, as the Separatists thought this was scandalous, while there were some "ahhs" from the Integrationists, as this was the one of the ultimate dreams of their position.

"Yes, sir," Jonathan said to Sesshomaru, despite the fact he was still extremely nervous, "You see, I wasn't sure about this place when I first found it, but now I don't know if I could live without Mavis. We zinged and without her, I don't know what I'd do. My whole world revolves around her now." Mavis smiled at Jonathan as he confessed his love for her. "I mean, there are only a few of the guys here that I haven't become friends with yet, but I hope that will change soon. I think you guys are all really cool, and I only hope that you guys can see me the same way one day." He smiled at the committee members before finishing, "Thanks."

Jonathan started to return to his seat, but Mavis remained standing, still clutching his hand. "Ms. Dracula, do you wish to address us?" Sesshomaru asked. Mavis nodded at him, and he said, "Then please proceed."

"Thank you, sir, and may it please the committee," Mavis remembered what her father had said, repeating it, even waiting for a nod from Sesshomaru. Jonathan couldn't help but notice a faint smile on the chairman's face, with the boy thinking that maybe he wasn't so against them after all. Mavis continued addressing the committee, "I can't live without Johnny either. He tried to reject my love out of loyalty to my father shortly after we met, but I became super depressed, and even thought about suicide." Jonathan didn't realize that Mavis had taken his rejection of her as hard as he did, and it broke his heart. He leaned closer to Mavis, wrapping his left arm around her shoulders, as she continued, "I will not give up my zing, no matter what. I know that we are meant to be, and we will be. It doesn't matter to me if that is in our world or the human one." Mavis sounded really defiant in her final sentence, and Jonathan was worried that it might backfire on them, even though he felt the same way. Mavis returned with Jonathan to their seats, so the proceedings could continue.

"Very well," Sesshomaru said to move to the next part of the agenda. "Vlad Dracula, please come forward for questioning from the committee." At the sound of his name, the Count immediately arose from his seat, before the chairman had explained why he was being asked to rise.

Dracula was questioned for about twenty minutes before being interrupted by something no one in the room ever suspected.

At the edge of the hotel's property, sitting in a tree that towered high above the ballroom's window, was a young man clothed in all black, with the exception of a red triangular patch on his uniform that resembled an old Van Halen logo. He sported a high powered rifle with a highly magnified scope. He had been waiting for the perfect time to take a shot at the Undead King. That devil had been moving slightly for the last five minutes, but finally he had paused as he looked back at something. "Thank god," the man said as Dracula stopped moving, with his image filling the crosshairs of his scope, "what good luck to have this great of a shot." He knew he would only have one shot at his target, so he had to make it count. He took aim at center mass of his target. As he began to squeeze the trigger, he uttered the motto of his clan, " **Audaces fortuna iuvat!** " (Fortune favors the bold in Latin) He saw his target flail as his projectile had scored a clean hit through his midsection. However, he was certain that this was not the time to admire his work; this was the time to flee, as a search party would certainly be coming soon.

Champ was questioning Dracula, "How can you guarantee us that humans will not harm any monsters here?"

Dracula started to answer, but Jonathan stood, which made Dracula stop pacing and turn to look at the human, "Drac, let me handle this one." Dracula looked nervous, but Sesshomaru nodded his approval for the human to answer. Jonathan frowned as he told the committee the truth. "We can't, but look at the way we treat each other. Humans fight with and even kill other humans for really stupid reasons. I'm not going to lie to you and say that we can promise it, but…"

Jonathan's answer was interrupted by the sound of glass shattering. No one had heard the shot be fired, but the lone window in the ballroom was shattered, and there was a bullet hole passing through Dracula's stomach that had gone completely through his body. Dracula felt as if his body was on fire as he collapsed, while his breathing was becoming very shallow. Jonathan and Mavis both rushed to his side, watching blood pour out of his wound, with both of them each taking one of his hands. Mavis screamed, "Where's the doctor! He needs a doctor!" As soon as Dracula had been wounded, the armors had begun to bring the doctor to the ballroom, but it would take a few minutes to do so, even with the help of the witches.

Wayne found the slug on the floor, and bent over to pick it up. However, the bullet burned his paw as soon as he touched it. "What the hell?" Wayne shouted, his left paw still sizzling from the projectile. "He's been wounded with a silver bullet!" Wayne yelled realizing how much peril his friend was really in.

"Let me see it," Jonathan ordered to Wayne, but he didn't dare touch the slug again. One of the monsters who was in the audience and was wearing shoes kicked the slug to him. Jonathan's uncle was a police officer, and he had taught his nephew some of the basics of ballistics. Jonathan instantly recognize that the slug that had wounded Dracula was a .223 caliber round covered in what looked to be a full metal jacket. However, mixed along with the copper was a small amount of another whitish metal. He knew that this round was most likely from a sniper's rifle, and it hadn't been a mistake. With the caliber of the round, coupled with the silver in the FMJ, it was apparent that the shooter had known exactly who their target was.

"Drac, buddy, hang in there," Jonathan pleaded with his friend. "Help's coming. You just have to give it time to get here." Jonathan turned to the captain of the armors, shouting, "Captain!"

"Yes, sir," the captain replied after rushing to the side of the human next to his fallen employer. The captain relied solely on the sound of authority in Jonathan's voice, and knew that he should follow the boy's orders.

"I want you to find that son of a bitch!" Wanda gasped at Jonathan's choice of language, but could hardly be surprised under the circumstances. "I don't care how many of the staff you need to find him, but do it." Jonathan also briefly described the type of weapon they would be looking for.

"Yes, sir! Anything else, sir!"

"Yes, captain," Jonathan said with his eyes quickly changing into narrow red slits, before returning back to normal, "I want that bastard alive." Unlike before when Jonathan's voice sounded like he was concerned, this order was delivered in a tone that was cold and callous. Sesshomaru would have been proud of the human for his actions if the situation wasn't so dire. The chairman was also one of the two people who notice Jonathan's eyes change briefly.

"Is that clear?" Jonathan asked to the captain, his voice still devoid of any emotion.

"Crystal, sir!" The captain had left immediately after receiving his orders.

"Winnie, I want you to go with them," Wayne added. "You have the best sense of smell of anyone here, so you can track that bastard."

"Is that wise, honey?" Wanda asked worried for the safety of her daughter.

One of the armors answered for Wayne, "We won't let anything happen to her, ma'am!"

Winnie felt her blood run hot, as she added coldly, "I wish I could rip him limb from limb while he was still alive," Winnie said as she started to leave with the armors.

"Tempting, but he deserves much worse," Jonathan said with his voice still devoid of any emotion, turning his attention back to Dracula. He had lost most of his color, and time was becoming critical. Jonathan shouted, "Where the hell is the doctor?"

"On his way, sir," the only armor left in the room replied.

Dracula lifted his head, preparing to give his final farewell to his daughter and future son-in-law. "Johnny," Dracula's said, his voice struggling to get above a whisper, "I'm not going to make it." He looked deep into Mavis's eyes before telling Jonathan, "Take good care of Mavis." After that his eyes closed.

"NOOO!" Mavis screamed, with tears streaming from her eyes. "He can't be gone!"

"He … he needs blood," Mikhail said stuttering, while rushing for his friend.

Jonathan screamed at the armor, with concern back in his voice, "Someone get him a Blood Beater, NOW!"

"No, Johnny," Mikhail answered softly. "It must be real blood." He had trouble adding, "Human blood."

Jonathan knew what he had to do with his future father-in-law now unconscious, and there was no time to waste. "Lieutenant!" Jonathan called to the only armor left in the room.

"Yes, sir!"

"I need your spear." The armor lowered his weapon, handing it to Jonathan. He used it to puncture a wound in his left palm, with blood beginning to pour from it. He didn't even flinch as the spear pierced his hand. He then placed his palm to Dracula's lips.

The second Jonathan's blood touched Dracula's lips, the vampire was revived. His normal color instantly returning to his face, and the wound in his abdomen was beginning to close. Dracula realized exactly what the human had done for him. He reached his mouth to Jonathan's neck, and as gently as he could, bit him. The second his fangs touched Jonathan's neck, the two established a telepathic connection, and Dracula could hear Jonathan's thoughts. "Take as much as you need, Drac," the vampire heard the human think. Dracula answered him in the same way, "I promise, Johnny. No more than is necessary."

About one minute later, Dracula withdrew his mouth from Jonathan's neck. As soon as Dracula lifted his mouth away, Mikhail shot his magic at Jonathan, freezing him, as he turned to Mavis. "You need to get him to the infirmary. Now!"

"But what about releasing him?" Mavis asked tears still streaming from her face from the realization that Jonathan was willing to sacrifice his own life for the sake of her father's.

"I can do it when I get your father there, but you must hurry." Mikhail told Mavis in a very concerned tone. "Your father needed to take a lot of his blood to counter the silver in his body. And Jonathan's wound on his hand doesn't help. Quickly child, make haste!"

Mavis nodded as she carried Jonathan in her arms at a full sprint to the infirmary.

Dracula was able to stand, with his wound now completely closed. However, his shirt was completely stained with his own blood. Mikhail supported him as he asked, "Can you walk?"

"I can," Dracula responded, with his strength slowly beginning to return to normal.

"We need to get you to the infirmary, also." Without any debate, Mikhail and Dracula walked as quickly as Dracula felt he was able to the infirmary.

There was nothing but silence in the ballroom, as no one could believe what had just happened. After a few minutes of silence, Champ made a motion. "I move that we suspend the hearing."

Sesshomaru wasn't surprised that this would be suggested, and parliamentary procedure required him to ask, "Is there a second?" But before anyone could raise their hand, a voice loud boomed from the crowd.

"No!" Frank shouted, rocking the walls in the room. His volume was loud enough to finish breaking the window that had been shot out, and the remaining glass rained into the room. "You've seen how much Johnny is willing to sacrifice for our kind. He was willing to give his own life for Drac's, and you still doubt him?"

Sesshomaru simply looked kindly at Frank, asking, "Mr. Stein, are you sure about this?"

"Yes," Frank answered. "If you're not willing to let us to try this after what you have witnessed here tonight, you never will!"

"Very well," Sesshomaru said coldly. "Methusa, will you please get Mikhail so we can deliberate.

"May I say one thing before you do?" Wanda asked to the committee.

"If you wish," Sesshomaru answered.

"It's been written that there is no greater love than to lay down one's life for a friend," she told them. "I beg you to think of that what Johnny was willing to sacrifice as you consider their fate."

Sesshomaru simply nodded at her, while Methusa left to get Mikhail.


	19. The Monster Within

Chapter 19

The Monster Within

It had taken Mavis less than a minute to sprint from the ballroom to the infirmary. She knew that with the amount of blood that Jonathan had given to her father, time was critical. Her zing lay motionless, cradled in her arms, still frozen from the effects of Mikhail's magic. This was the second time that a vampire had frozen him, and like before, it was to save his life.

Immediately when Mavis arrived to the infirmary with Jonathan, Doctor Jekyll, along with the nurse-witches had gotten the boy into a bed, and hooked up a heart monitor to him. They worked as quickly as they could to open an I.V. line into him, to begin to give him a blood transfusion. Luckily, when Jonathan had decided to stay at the hotel, the doctor had suggested that the boy have some of his blood on hand, just in case of accident. It had only taken the doctor, along with the help of one of the nurses, only a few minutes to close the wound on his hand and begin the blood transfusion.

Mavis wouldn't leave her zing's side, since she knew exactly what he had done. He was willing to give up his own life to save her father's. She wasn't sure if she could have done the same thing for his parents, and hoped she would never have to find out. Just then, Jonathan's phone started to buzz. Mavis fished it out of his pocket, and saw that it was his sister was calling him. Mavis answered the phone as she was fighting back tears. "Hi, Jenna," she answered with her voice sounding grave.

"Oh, hey Mavis. I was trying to get Johnny. Is he around?" Mavis began crying on her end of the phone. "What's wrong, Mavis?"

"Oh Jenna, it's terrible!" Mavis cried into the phone. "Dad's been shot, and Johnny gave him some of his blood to save him."

"Oh my god!" Jenna shouted, "Is everyone okay?"

"I don't know," Mavis said still distraught. "Johnny's in a bad way, and I don't even know about my dad."

Jenna joined Mavis in tears. "I'm so sorry, Mavis." The line was silent for another minute before she added, "I'll pray for both of them."

"Thanks, Jenna," Mavis said, the tears slowing from her. She was glad that she was right about Jenna. The two would be close, perhaps even as close as sisters. "I have to go, but I'll keep you posted."

"Thanks, Sis," Jenna answered, thinking, _Her mom was right. We will be sisters._

As they hung up, there was a knock on the door. It was Mikhail. "Mavis, are you okay?"

She was almost furious that he could ask her that. She hadn't been mad at Jenna, since she didn't know, but here was someone who had witnessed the events of the last half hour, and he was asking her if she was ok? "As good as I can be, I guess," she said trying not to let her contempt show. "But Johnny's heart rate is way too slow."

"I know," the older vampire said looking at the instrumentation hooked to the boy. His heart rate was at 15 beats per minute. "I have to release him now, so you must let go of his hand."

Mavis started to plead with him, "But I…"

"But nothing," Mikhail interrupted her. "It's just for a minute."

Mavis relented and Mikhail pointed his right palm at the boy, focusing on him, with a purple mist emanating from his hand, and surrounding the boy. But neither of them expected what happened next.

As the mist dissipated from around Jonathan, his back arched upwards, and he let out a growl that almost sounded vampiric. Mavis placed her hands on his chest, and he laid back down flat, with his heart rate returning to a more normal human level. She looked right at Mikhail, asking him, "Have you ever seen that before?"

Mikhail just shrugged, since he hadn't interacted with many humans, although he speculated what had caused Jonathan's reaction. "Your father had to take a lot of his blood," Mikhail answered her. "And with the amount of time his fangs were in Jonathan, enough venom must have flown into him to initiate the transformation process."

"So will he be… one of us?" She asked worriedly.

"I doubt it, unless one of us feeds him our blood. More than likely, that was just his reaction from the pain he was in."

"Johnny was in pain?" Mavis struggled to ask as tears streamed from her eyes.

"Even with the greatest of care, a vampire bite can be very painful. And your father's condition would have made it extremely difficult for him to lessen the pain he would have felt."

Mavis was horrified that if she did try to turn him, it could cause Jonathan great agony. She couldn't bear ever hurting him, even if the decision to do it would be mutual. As Mavis pondered everything from the last hour, there was another knock on the door, and it opened before a response was given.

Dracula entered, still a little wobbly, alongside Methusa. Mavis was shocked that her father would be out of his room so quickly after what happened, but he appeared to be walking okay. "Dad, you need to rest," Mavis pleaded with her father. "What would the doctor say?"

"He said I could come to check on my family," Dracula answered reassuringly. "How is my son?" Mavis loved that her father had referred to Jonathan as being his son, but was unable to respond to him.

"Still unconscious, Count," Mikhail informed him, "but when I released him, he," Mikhail was unsure how to describe the reaction of the boy. "I never saw anything like it before."

"What happened?" Dracula asked sounding slightly concerned about what had happened to his friend.

"I would have sworn that you turned him. He almost jumped out of the bed, and growled fiercely."

"I was afraid of that," Dracula answered frowning, with a tear beginning to glisten in his eye. "Mavis, have you talked to him about it?"

Tears resumed flowing from Mavis's eyes, as Dracula could sense the answer. "No," she answered him, "I was planning on it after this was over."

"Do you think he'd want to? The way he is now, it would be an ideal time." Dracula mentally slapped himself, as he hadn't intended it like the way it sounded, but luckily, Mavis looked at him like she knew what he meant.

"I think he would, but I don't want to right now. It wouldn't be fair to him or his family." Dracula hugged Mavis. He couldn't believe how grown up she had become in such a short time after meeting her zing.

"I hate to interrupt," Methusa said to Mikhail, "but you're wanted with the committee. They want to start deliberating."

Mikhail couldn't believe that after what had transpired in the last while, they'd even consider letting them attempt to integrate the societies. "Who insisted on it?"

"The golem, Mr. Stein," Methusa answered. "Carlos wanted to suspend the hearing, but he demanded a decision."

"Is that wise?" Dracula asked her.

"I don't know, but the female werewolf said that there was no greater love than to give up one's life for a friend. I'm as convinced as ever."

"Very well," Mikhail relented. "Mavis, we shall do our best." With that the two committee members departed them, leaving Mavis and Dracula alone with the still unconscious human.

"Dad, did you see Johnny's eyes earlier?" Mavis asked to her father. Dracula shook his head as he was barely conscious as Jonathan's eyes changed into red slits for a split second before returning to normal. "They looked like yours when you… you know."

"No Mavy, I don't know."

"When you growl."

"I wonder if his vampire blood took over," Dracula speculated. Mavis looked at him not sure how it would, since it was so far in his past. "Of all the different kinds of monster blood, a vampire's is the most potent, Sweet Fangs. And I know that fear and rage are the two most powerful emotions that can make it surge."

"But will he still be human?"

"We will find out later, but for now," but Dracula was interrupted by the sounds of a groaning man.

"Ohhh!" The boy lying in the bed groaned, as he began to open his eyes. "Wha… what happened?" Jonathan's eyes had returned to their normal shape and color. They found Mavis, who was still in tears, but now they were tears of joy. "Mavis, I," but he couldn't finish his sentence. Mavis leapt in the bed with him, hugging him tightly. Too tightly, as a matter of fact. "Ohhh," Jonathan groaned as he winced, "Mavis … can't … breathe."

Mavis gasped as she didn't realize that she was hurting him, but she was so happy that he was okay that she couldn't control her emotions. However, the first thing she said to him was her shouting, "You jerk! Don't you ever do that to me again!" She looked at her father and forgot why Jonathan had allowed Dracula to take his blood. "I didn't mean that. Jonathan, I'm so-". But she couldn't finish her statement, because as soon as she started to apologize, Jonathan sat up, and kissed her passionately, one of their most passionate kisses to date.

In a small conference room, four of the six members of the committee were debating what they had seen and heard. Carlos couldn't believe they were still considering allowing any integration, since it had so obviously been a human who shot Dracula. Griffin, minus his allies, was trying to convince him and Champ that the fact a human shot Dracula was immaterial, since Johnny had been willing to give his life to save Dracula. He tried to remind them of Jonathan's answer, that not all humans would be friendly, but they couldn't allow a small minority to be their only factor.

Sesshomaru was lost in his thoughts. He kept thinking back to the helpful humans during his younger days, even that silly hunter who hung around with his half-brother had learned that not all monsters were bad. He himself had zinged with a human girl, but it couldn't last, as his kind was unable to turn humans into monsters. He thought, _If she can deal with the pain from watching him age_ , _then let them be. And who says he must be the only one to zing with a monster._ Sesshomaru realized that this was one of those things that needed to be unanimous with the committee. He had already committed to giving his vote in the affirmative, since he saw how willing the boy was to sacrifice his own life for his friend. As he returned his consciousness to the room, he heard Griffin and Champ still bickering. The chairman rose to address the membership, "I appreciate all of your debate, but is there a way we can make the decision unanimous?" Everyone was stunned as not one of them knew which way he was leaning.

Just then the other two members entered the room, with Methusa asking, "So, what'd we miss?"

"Not much different than normal," Sesshomaru answered with a small sigh, followed by a chuckle. "Champ, Carlos, is there a way that we can agree to a trial basis?"

"A trial?" The sea monster asked. "You actually are thinking about it?"

"I'm not thinking about it anymore," the chairman answered, "I'm convinced."

"You're what?!" Carlos asked completely stunned. "Surely, you can't be serious."

One of the highlights that the human had brought to the hotel had been movies, and Griffin felt like quoting one, "He is serious," he said chuckling at the chairman, "and don't call him Shirley!" Nobody else got the joke. "Johnny can show you all later."

The voice of reason came from Methusa. "What if we agreed to a trial? We agree to allow the Count to open the hotel to the humans that he thinks are safe, and we can revisit it during the next session."

Sesshomaru looked at Champ and Carlos. "Would that be acceptable to you two?"

Both of them looked at the chairman like they had no choice. With him committing to join the other side, they couldn't stop them. This would be their best chance, since it would provide an opportunity to review the policy again.

The chairman knew his duties, "Is there a motion?"

Methusa raised her hand and was acknowledged by the chair. "I move that we allow for the limited trial of human/monster integration in such facilities as this committee may approve at a later date, with the Hotel Transylvania being the first so designated facility. And that we agree to revisit this motion for permanent action no later than the end of the next session of the legislature."

"Is there a second?" Everyone but Sesshomaru raised his hand, since it wasn't his duty to make or second motions as chair. "Very well. All in favor?" The room was a chorus of 'ayes'. "Any opposed?" Pure silence, except for the sound of smiles on the faces of the three visionaries who pictured this possibility. "The motion is unanimous! Now let's go tell everyone. Griffin, would you like to inform the Count?"

Griffin nodded at the chairman; he loved that Sesshomaru had given him the honor to tell Mavis and Jonathan that their cause had succeeded. He left as quickly as he could. The rest returned to the ballroom to announce the decision.

Griffin hurried to the infirmary to tell his friends about the decision. It took him about ten minutes, and he kept thinking about how best to tell them. This was a great night for their kind, and their cause.

Upon arriving to Dracula's room in the infirmary, Griffin knocked on the door, but there was no answer. He found one of the nurses, who had informed him that the count had gone to check on Jonathan. Since he hadn't returned, Griffin took this as a good sign that the boy had recovered somewhat. Although, he never would have imagined that he would be sitting upright, cuddling with Mavis.

The invisible man entered the human's room, with a large smile on his face, even though no one could see it. He had tried to sneak into the room, but tripped over one of Jonathan's shoes, and yelped as he hit the floor with a thud, exposing himself. "So much for that plan," Griffin said laughing.

"Do you bring us news?" Dracula asked his friend.

"The best kind," Griffin answered, drawing expectant smiles from everyone in the room. "They've granted us a trial." Jonathan let out a yell, while Mavis was weeping from joy. "But the committee will want to review it later."

Mavis looked at Jonathan, and they kissed, looking for the first time like they would be allowed to be together.

Back in the ballroom, Sesshomaru prepared to announce the decision. No one was completely sure how they would rule, but there was an air of excitement, since Frank and Wanda made their pleas in the aftermath of Jonathan's sacrifice. The chairman rose, "I won't keep you in suspense. The motion was unanimous, that the Hotel Transylvania be allowed to open to human guests that Dracula believes are not threats." There was a loud cheer that went up from the crowd. "This is just a trial, and the committee reserves the right to reconsider at a later time. We are adjourned."

About an hour later, several of the armors, along with many of the gargoyles and Winnie returned with a young human bound and gagged. He wore all black, with a red triangular patch on his left shoulder. A detail remained with the prisoner in the courtyard, while the captain went to find Jonathan or Dracula to get orders on what they wished to do with him.

Dracula returned with his captain to see for himself the man who had tried to kill him. The prisoner didn't show any emotion when he saw the face of Dracula, but had resigned himself to whatever his fate would be. Dracula went close to the man, bearing his fangs, and growling as fiercely as he ever had before. "Nothing?" Dracula asked to this man whose face still didn't show anything.

The stranger just scoffed at the vampire. He wouldn't answer any questions that were asked. Dracula couldn't understand it; he had wanted to give this human a chance to apologize for his actions. Dracula hadn't taken a life in more than two centuries, and with the opportunity before them to integrate the monster and human worlds, he didn't want any ill will between them. But this soldier wouldn't give any hints as to his motives. "Why should I allow you to live?" Dracula bluntly asked the prisoner, but still he offered no response. Dracula just shook his head in disgust at the human. "Very well," the vampire ordered to his chief, "Captain, please throw this human in the dungeon until we can think of a fitting punishment for him."

"Yes, sir!" The captain replied as he led the prisoner away.

Dracula tried to think of a fitting way to punish this man, but knew he didn't want to dirty himself with it. After a few minutes, he thought, _What it I leave his fate to Jonathan_? A smile came over his face as he said quietly, "Yes, that would be fitting." Dracula would order his armors to grant the man quarter until such time that Jonathan would recover enough to interrogate this man, and decide himself what should happen to him. Dracula was curious to see if indeed Jonathan's vampire blood had been awoken, and if that might cause the boy to be transformed. Although a part of Dracula hoped he would remain human until Mavis was ready to turn him herself.


	20. A Second Chance

**Author's note:** I know this chapter is really long. I wasn't completely sure about going in this direction, but as I am working on my other story, I like where it went. Any feedback is appreciated.

New OC

Ivan is/was a monster hunter who was kidnapped by the van Helsings after Gustav van Helsing killed his parents for harboring a monster in their home. Currently he is 24, with dark blonde hair and black eyes. He is voiced by Ben Savage.

* * *

Chapter 20

A Second Chance

It had taken Jonathan only a few days to begin to feel better. The excellent news that the hotel would be allowed to have human guests also helped to speed his recovery, and both Mavis and Jonathan knew who the first guest would have to be.

A week after the hearing, Jonathan called his sister. Mavis had told him that she had spoken to Jenna while he was unconscious. "Hey, sis," Jonathan greeted his sister via speakerphone with Mavis in the room as well.

"Johnny!" She shouted, relieved that her brother would be okay. "How are you feelin'?""  
"Do you want the honest answer?" He asked chuckling.

"If you'll tell me."

"I feel like I've been bitten by a whole swarm of mosquitoes," he said laughing, "but I guess it was worth it."

"I'm just glad that you're feeling okay."

"Not bad, but I feel like I just got done with a MMA fight. The doctor says that it'll be that way for a few days, until my blood levels get back to normal. I hate the food I have to eat; I'll tell you that much."

"What are they making you eat?" Jenna asked.

"A lot of greens. You know, spinach, broccoli, and stuff like that. But they're making me eat it raw, and they don't have any ranch."

"You never did like veggies," Jenna said giggling at her brother. "But I guess you need a lot of iron, since you did what you did." She thought for a second before adding, "Eat enough spinach and you'll be like Popeye," which made both Jenna and Jonathan laugh.

"I guess so," followed with Jonathan imitating the sound of Popeyes's pipe, "toot, toot. But that wasn't the reason we called. Mavis and I … We'd like to invite you to come visit over the summer."

"Really!" Jenna answered excitedly, before thinking of her parents. "But what about dad?"

"Don't worry about him," Mavis said. "We'll take care of Mike."

"Mavis!" Jenna exclaimed since she was excited to hear her voice, as she felt a deep connection to her future sister-in-law. "But how?"

"Drac can use his hypno-eyes on him, if he has to," Jonathan said laughing, "but I think dad'll be cool with it."

"Hypno-eyes?" Jenna asked.

"Don't ask; just leave it at that," Mavis answered to Jenna as the vampiress could only chuckle at her fiancé. "Well sis, we'll see you in a few weeks, hopefully."

"Mavis, I can't wait to see you again. Bye Johnny."

The call ended, and Johnny just smiled at Mavis. "I told you she'd like you."

"I like her too," Mavis answered with a wide smile also on her face.

In truth, Mavis and Jonathan had already asked Mike about Jenna visiting before they asked her. While he was nervous about his baby girl traveling that far from home by herself, he knew that Jonathan and Mavis would be there. In addition, Mavis had explained to Mike that Dracula was a lot like he was with his daughter.

Mavis was surprised with how long it took Jonathan to heal. She remembered that her dad recovered from being sunburned in a matter of minutes, but it took Jonathan almost two weeks to be released from the infirmary. She spent a significant amount of time by his side every day.

Two days after Jonathan was released from the infirmary, Dracula went to see him. He had wanted to tell the human about the prisoner they were keeping. Dracula crept under the door of Jonathan's room as a mist, and saw the boy reading something on his phone. The vampire laughed at Jonathan as he rematerialized and said, "That thing's going to make you stupid."

Jonathan could only laugh at Dracula's comment. "That's what my dad said too." Jonathan thought of his father before adding, "He'd like you."

"So is your sister coming over the summer?"

Jonathan smiled at Dracula, and he assumed that Mavis had already told him about it. "Yep. She should be here in mid-June." He chuckled as he added, "Hopefully she doesn't bring those damn books."

Dracula wasn't completely sure which books he was referring to, but didn't ask about it. He had been told by Griffin about _Twilight_ , and many of the other titles that their side had worked to get humans to not fear monsters. "There is something I need you to do if you feel up to it."

"What's that, Drac?"

"Do you remember that you asked for the man who shot me to be brought back alive?"

Jonathan looked unsure of what the vampire was asking of him. He had forgotten most of the events after Dracula was shot. "Not really," Jonathan answered, sounding worried in his reply. "Why?"

"He has been in the dungeon for the past two weeks. I figured that it should be you who decides his fate."

Jonathan looked terrified of what Dracula was asking him to do. He had never even served on a jury before, and it sounded to the boy that the vampire wanted him to be all three; judge, jury, and possibly executioner. "Why me?"

Dracula just shrugged. He didn't know either why he hadn't just killed the shooter when he first encountered him. "Perhaps he may reconsider his stances if he saw you and Mavis together."

Jonathan sighed. He didn't want to expose Mavis to any danger, but he thought that Dracula could be right. "Okay, Drac. But I still don't get it why you want me to do it."

Jonathan and Mavis went to the dungeon to interrogate the prisoner. She really didn't want to go either, but she couldn't say no to her father. Mavis thought that there could have been a reason why her father wanted Jonathan to talk to him, but wasn't sure why he wanted her there as well. That changed as soon as they entered the cell together.

The dungeon creeped out Jonathan. He saw many instruments of torture that looked to be more for decoration than functionality, such as an Iron Maiden, rack, and bed of nails. The inside of the human's cell looked much like a jail cell. Jonathan had the unfortunate pleasure of knowing what the inside of a jail cell looked like as his attitude had gotten him arrested a few times, although he never had to spend more than a weekend locked up.

The prisoner looked like he was more afraid of the fact that a human and vampiress held hands and they looked like they were deeply in love, than the fact that simply he was in the presence of a vampire.

Mavis looked at their prisoner. He couldn't be much older than Jonathan was, but his face appeared to be scarred by so much hatred that it almost looked like he had lost his soul. Normally a vampire could stare deep into the eyes of a human and could see something bright in their souls if they looked hard enough, but there was nothing revealed through his eyes. It actually made Mavis pity this young man.

After a few minutes, Jonathan couldn't stand the silence any longer. "Why'd you shoot Drac?"

The prisoner scoffed at the question. After about thirty seconds he finally gave an answer, "Because he is a monster."

Jonathan looked confused at his response. Sure, he had freaked out when he had discovered that all of the monsters in the hotel were real, but he never had hatred towards them. "That's not an answer," Jonathan countered. "Drac hasn't ever hurt anyone."

Mavis was close to tears since she knew the truth about her father. Jonathan was wrong; her father had harmed many people in the past. And while some of them might have deserved their fates, many probably did not.

"Are you sure about that?" the prisoner asked with a defiant look still on his face.

"I mean, I don't know about him before I got here, but he never tried to hurt me. Hell, he's letting me marry his daughter, so he can't be all that bad, right?" Jonathan chuckled as he asked his rhetorical question.

"So, this is the spawn of the 'Undead King', huh?"

Mavis looked as if she hadn't heard his comment, but Jonathan was furious at him, with his face turning red with anger. "Her name is Mavis, and if you say anything even near that rude to her again, you will live to regret it."

For the first time since he was given his task by the van Helsings, the prisoner began to actually look remorseful for something that he had done. His parents had raised him to be a gentleman, but ever since they were killed he became completely loyal to his clan. He was one of their best snipers, and was celebrated for his skill.

"What's your name?" Mavis asked to this young man. Her expression had changed from one of contempt to almost feeling bad for this human who had tried to kill her father.

"My name is…" but he couldn't say his name. He had been indoctrinated by the van Helsings so much about the wickedness of monsters that he was unsure of how to proceed. His training told him not to trust this monster, but his heart said that Mavis could be a friend.

Mavis approached the young man, placing her right hand on his left shoulder. "It's okay," she said softly, while smiling at him. "Nobody will hurt you here."

Jonathan couldn't believe that Mavis just told the stranger that, with him thinking, _He shoots your father, and you tell him that?_ However, the thought didn't last, since he knew that Mavis was the forgiving kind. She always wanted to give some one a second chance. All he had to look at was the way she forgave his family.

The stranger began to weep. He had never before imagined that a vampire would be so kind to him. Mavis was kinder than the leader of the hunter's clan, Gustav van Helsing, who was a heartless brute. He finally found the courage to say, "My name is … it's Ivan."

"Ivan," Mavis said still smiling, "why did you try to hurt my dad?"

Ivan couldn't hold back, and began to sob uncontrollably. "I don't know."

Mavis looked deeper into his eyes, and could finally see something in his soul. He saw a man who looked about the same age as her father, with jet black hair and a more muscular build than her father kidnapping a child. Mavis knew that this was the boy in question. Some one had abducted him when he was very young, and must have filled his head with lies and propaganda. There was one thing that looked familiar in the vision that Mavis saw; the village he in which he lived, looked to be the same one that surrounded her mother's ancient castle.

Mavis actually began to feel bad for this poor man. "How old are you?" She asked.

"I'm 24."

"How long ago were you kidnapped?"

Mavis's question changed Jonathan's opinion of Ivan. He had put all the pieces together as well. Ivan hadn't hated monsters before he was abducted, but that hatred was taught to him over the course of his captivity.

"I was 8 when they took me. They said that my parents were killed by monsters, so it was my destiny to fight them."

Mavis looked into Ivan's eyes again, but she couldn't find any sign that his parents had actually been killed by a monster. "I think we can help you if you'll let us try," Mavis said compassionately to Ivan.  
For the first time since he was captured after trying to kill Dracula, Ivan felt relieved. "How?"

"My dad can erase all of the lies you've been told, if you'll let him. We can even take you back to your home, too.

"You'd do that, even after I tried to kill him?"

"Everyone deserves a second chance," Jonathan said smiling at Ivan, and Mavis nodded at Jonathan's statement.

Dracula couldn't believe it when Mavis asked her father to talk to Ivan. "Why could I ever forgive him for what he had done?" Dracula asked to his daughter.

"You're kidding, right?" Mavis answered, to which Dracula's only response was a confused look on his face. "I saw something in his soul. He deserves a second chance. Johnny says he has something called 'Stockholm syndrome'."

Dracula had never heard of that before, and was about to protest. But then he remembered that Martha had given him a second chance. It would be unfair for him to deny this human one without at least talking to him. "Alright, but I don't think I will like it."

Dracula returned alone to the dungeon later that night. He still didn't know why Mavis had insisted on him giving the boy a second chance, but that changed the second he entered the man's cell.

Ivan no longer looked scared of Dracula, but rather he looked trusting of the vampire. Ivan had trouble speaking, but stuttered out, "I'm … sorry."

Dracula had not expected this, and it stopped him in his tracks. He never thought that someone who wore the uniform of the van Helsings would ever apologize for attempting to kill a monster. "My daughter said that something is troubling you." Dracula said as he began to gaze into the man's eyes. "May I see what it is?" The boy nodded in reply, and Dracula's eyes began to glow red as he stared into Ivan's eyes. It only took him a minute to find what Mavis had seen.

* * *

Flashback, Village surrounding Castle Lubov, 16 years prior

Ivan was at his home with his parents when he heard something foraging though the garbage outside. He assumed it was a wild animal, but was shocked when he went to his window and actually saw what it was.

It looked like a dog, except it was standing on two legs, digging into one of the garbage cans. Something suggested to Ivan that it was a monster, so he went to his parents to tell them about it.

His parents didn't believe him, and kept trying to tell him that monsters weren't real. So, Ivan went outside to investigate himself. He went outside brandishing a baseball bat, just in case it might be something dangerous. As he approached the trash cans, Ivan accidentally stepped on a twig which snapped under his feet. The creature, startled fell into the can, and Ivan dropped his bat to help it out of the can. He was stunned when he was able to see what it actually was.

As he looked at the creature, he noticed that it looked to be a boy about his age that was crossed with a dog or wolf. Its fur was black, and its eyes were silver with just a tint of gold. After the two stared at each other for about a minute, Ivan said, "Hi."

"Hi," the creature answered, smiling at him. "Are you a human?"

"As far as I know," Ivan answered chuckling at the creature. "What are you?"

"I'm a werewolf. My name is Willy. What's your name?"

"Ivan." It still hadn't hit Ivan that his new friend was a monster; he only saw another boy who was his age. "You hungry?"

Willy's stomach gave his answer as it started to rumble. Ivan went in the house to get some food for his new friend, but his parents saw him walking outside with it.

"Who's that for?" His mother asked to Ivan.

"My new friend Willy," Ivan answered to them.

"Why don't you invite him inside?" His father suggested, to which Ivan smiled and proceeded outside to fetch Willy. His parents were stunned when they saw him, noticing his fur first.

"What is that?!" His mother screamed, terrified that it was a monster, while his father remained calm.

"This is my new friend, Willy," Ivan told his parents who were both stunned. They both had known of the legend about the ruined castle just outside of the town, but they both never really believed it. Now here was a monster, a werewolf that acted just like their boy, and it looked like he had made friends with it. "I think he's lost."

Ivan's father wasn't sure how to act, but his mother was hysterical. "That thing's dangerous," she screamed, "Get away from it!"

"But mom," the boy pleaded, "He's my friend."

"Why don't you give him a chance, Martha?" Ivan's father asked to his wife.

"You can't be serious, Victor!"

"Our son seems to have taken a liking to him, so let's at least give him a chance."

Martha still couldn't believe what her husband was proposing, but knew better than to argue with him. She relented, and served Willy a meal consisting of lamb stew, which the young werewolf devoured, and immediately after finishing, thanked Martha. The two boys slept together in Ivan's room, but were woken shortly before dawn.

A small group of men armed to the teeth approached the house, and began to surround it. Leading this group was Gustav van Helsing, the most feared monster hunter in the world at the time. He was followed by six men, all of them clothed in black. "Men, surround the house," Gustav ordered, "I smell a mutt." Gustav knocked on the home's door, and it was answered by Victor. "Good morning, sir," Gustav greeted, "I am from the federal police, and we have received word of an escaped juvenile delinquent has been seen in the area. Have you seen anything tonight?"

"No, only my family is in the house," Victor lied to this stranger. Something had told him that this had been what the young werewolf had been fleeing from.

"Can we search your property for him?" Gustav asked.

"You wake my wife and children, and you want to search my property," Victor replied, making sure that he sounded even more annoyed than he was. However it drew no reaction from Gustav. Victor glanced at his pistol that he had near the door, "You have 30 seconds to be off my property, or you better hope you're a quicker shot than I am!" This was not an idle threat, as Victor was a skilled marksman.

"Please, sir, this is for your safety."

Victor didn't change his answer. He reached for the pistol, but was seized by Gustav as his glance left the stranger. "You're a fool," Gustav snarled at Victor, as his men entered the home. "Search the entire house. I know that damned wolf is here."

Ivan and Willy looked at each other and they both had the same thought; Willy needed to leave immediately. Willy jumped out of the window and sprinted away as fast as he could.

"I'm disappointed in you," Gustav said to Victor coldly. "You harbor a monster in your own home; what would you have done if it had hurt you wife or children?" Victor didn't answer. Gustav turned to one of his men, "Andrew!"

One of his followers stepped up to Gustav, "Yes, sir!"

"He is guilty of aiding and abetting the escape of a monster. Shoot him!"

Martha ran to the side of her husband, and pleaded for his life. It wouldn't help, as all Martha did was to add her name to the list of condemned.

"But, father," Andrew pled with his father, but was interrupted by Gustav.

Gustav drew his pistol, and pointed it at his son's head. "No buts. Either you shoot them, or I shoot you, then I shoot them." Andrew didn't react. He simply stared at his father, almost daring him to pull the trigger. Unfortunately for him, he had miscalculated the resolve of his father. He did shoot his own son in the head before he turned the weapon on Victor and Martha.

Ivan still watched from inside his room, through his cracked door. He had never seen anyone shot before, and at the sound of the gunshot he wet himself.

Gustav only paused for a second, before firing first at Victor, then Martha. He had shot them both in the head. He then ordered his men to search the house for any trace of the wolf. They found none, but brought Ivan to Gustav. He looked at the boy with contempt before saying, "Hopefully you're not as big of a fool as your parents." Gustav pointed his pistol at him, and ordered him to march with his men. He would train Ivan to hunt monsters, and fill his head with lies and propaganda convincing him that not only were monsters bad, but they were the ones who killed his parents, despite the fact that he had witnessed the entire thing.

End Flashback

* * *

Dracula looked into the eyes of Ivan after seeing all of his past in tears. Ivan had known exactly the same pain that he had felt after losing his wife. Dracula still couldn't believe that Ivan's mother's name had been Martha. He wasn't sure if it meant anything or not, but Dracula knew that Ivan did indeed deserve a second chance. He had been friendly with the first monster he met. Dracula wondered if the 'Willy' that Ivan had met was one of Wayne's children.

Dracula looked with gentle eyes at Ivan and asked him, "Would you like me to take away your pain and memories?"

Ivan just shook his head. It would be wrong to not remember who the real enemy was, and it wasn't Dracula and his kind; rather it was Gustav and his cursed allies.

Dracula led Ivan out of the dungeon, giving him a regular room. Mavis had spent some time with Ivan, as she felt some connection to him when she gazed into his eyes. She sensed that there was a deep pain he was hiding, although she could never have imagined that it was what it was. Mavis was glad that before passing judgement on him, she looked for any motives that Ivan had, and found that he was in an almost impossible situation.

Jonathan had told Dracula that everything isn't always 'black and white', but rather there are often shades of gray. A lot of the time there is a hidden reason why people end up doing what they do, and that it must be taken into account. Dracula knew that this definitely applied to Ivan.


	21. Reunion

**Author's Note:** New OC's

Wilbur Werewolf is the oldest pup of Wayne and Wanda. He is 55 years old, but appears to be about 18 in human years. He stands slightly taller than his father, mainly because he had better posture. He wears jeans that had been cut so bad that he turned them into shorts, along with a black "Misfits" tee shirt that is covered by a leather jacked and combat boots. His fur was darker than his parents, with tufts of black hair on his head. His eyes were moon silver with a tint of gold. He is voiced by Ezra Miller. He is an OC of Sweetberry771.

William Werewolf is from the same litter as Wilbur, which only consisted of the two of them. William is younger by ten minutes, and Wilbur always makes fun of him for it. His fur is the same color as Wilbur, other than his hair on his head is silver, while his eyes are black. He wears jeans and a Motörhead tee shirt. William is also the first of the monsters, other than Mavis to adopt human technology, and normally is playing with his smartphone. He is voiced by Pete Davidson.

* * *

Chapter 21

Reunion

One week had passed since Ivan had apologized for shooting Dracula, and the entirety of his past was known. All of the events that Dracula had witnessed in Ivan's past made him feel even worse about the lies that some humans had told about monsters, but that wasn't the reason on this night that Dracula felt guilty.

Dracula had arraigned for Wayne to bring his two oldest pups to the hotel. Dracula knew that two of Wayne's pups used the nickname Willy in the past, that being William and Wilbur, although currently only William still did. Dracula had suspected after seeing the image of the mysterious werewolf in Ivan's memory, it was one of these two that was the wolf he had met and befriended.

Dracula's proposition concerned Wanda even more that it did Wayne, but she knew that Dracula did not take unnecessary risks when it came to humans. Wanda relented when he repeatedly insisted on only those two coming to meet Ivan, especially after Dracula had told her what he had witnessed in Ivan's memory.

Neither Wayne nor Wanda could be sure which one of their children might had been the one to meet Ivan as a boy, as both of them had run off about the same time. However, Wilbur was the most curious about humans in the past, with his intrigue rivaling Mavis's. Dracula had even speculated that he may be more like Mavis than any of them suspect, even possibly one day zinging with a human. Wanda seriously doubted it, since he still acted like a little boy, despite him being the same age that she and Wayne were when they zinged. They realized, though, that wouldn't be the case at the present time.

Dracula had arranged for the three to dine together. Upon being seated together, Ivan seemed to focus on Wilbur more than his brother. William looked fairly sure that he had never seen Ivan before, while Wilbur repeatedly tried to place Ivan. As their food arrived, William and Wilbur both devoured their meals, while Ivan slowly enjoyed his. Not much was said during the meal, and William was fairly confident he had never met Ivan before, so when he finished eating, he excused himself.

Dracula caught William before he wleft the restaurant, and asked him, "Have you ever seen him before?"

"No Uncle Drac," William answered, a smile on his face, "but he seems nice enough."

"What about your brother? Do you think he might have?"

"I don't know; maybe." William noticed the two looking at each other. He suspected that there was a reason for Wilbur's curiosity with humans, but wondered why he tried to scare some of them. He bid farewell to his uncle, and headed for the lounge for an after dinner cocktail.

Wilbur excused himself after Ivan had finished eating, claiming he needed to use the restroom. In reality, he wanted to see his uncle. Dracula was sitting at a table in the corner waiting for them to finish. Wilbur sat at Dracuila's table, and Dracula asked," Have you met him before?"

"I … don't … know," Wilbur said hesitantly. He kept trying to place Ivan, but struggled to as it had been almost 15 years since he had seen Ivan.

"What do you mean, Wilbur?" Dracula asked to the pup.

Even though Wilbur was going through a rebellious phase towards his parents, he knew better than to disrespect his Uncle Drac, especially in his hotel. He was now 55 years old, even though he looked just slightly younger than Ivan in human years. Wayne had long since told Dracula to discipline his children if he felt the need to, and Dracula went so far as to throw William in an iron maiden for a short amount of time once when he got too rough with one of the gremlins.

He answered his uncle with respect. "I'd met a human before, but he was a lot younger."

"Could it have possibly been him?" Dracula asked pointing towards Ivan, who was talking with Jonathan.

Wilbur shrugged. "You always said that all humans looked the same," he answered while chuckling at his uncle, even though he knew this probably wasn't the smartest thing to do. Wilbur couldn't be completely sure of it, but he though that Ivan was indeed the boy he met many years ago.

Dracula laughed at how wrong he had been about humans. He now knew that there were many good humans, like Jonathan and Ivan, once they were able to show him the truth about monsters; however, this Gustav Van Helsing that Ivan had told them about sounded like a real monster. Jonathan had joked when Ivan told the vampires about him that they were wrong to call the vampires the monsters, as Gustav sounded much worse than Dracula could ever have been.

"I was wrong about them," Dracula told Wilbur, much like the vampire told his friends after Quasimodo revealed that Jonathan was actually a human. "I know I was wrong about Johnny, and most of his family, from what Mavis has told me. I was wrong about all of those we met at the 'Monster Festival' last year. And now it appears that Ivan isn't what I thought he was when I first met him."

"I know it," Wilbur said to his uncle. "I can't sure, but I think he is who I met when ran away."

"Then why don't you tell him that."

Tears began to fill the eyes of Wilbur. He had never forgotten that night when a human family had taken him in, treated him like a member of their family, and quite possibly, saved his life. He still couldn't be sure about his memory, but the events that Dracula had told him that he saw in the memory of the human were also in Wilbur's past.

Dracula accompanied Wilbur to talk to Ivan. The more that he thought about it, the more certain that Wilbur was about him. Ivan had been the boy he met when he was younger, and his parents had sacrificed their lives to provide him an opportunity to escape. Wilbur was fighting back tears as they approached Ivan. "I'm so sorry," Wilbur said softly to Ivan.

"Thank you," was all that Ivan could say, who by now had joined Wilbur in tears. Ivan couldn't believe that even after all the horrible things he had done and with all of the monsters that he had slain, that a monster could have ever forgiven him. Mavis hadn't just saved his life, but rather she quite possibly saved his soul. She had found something that he had hidden so deep inside himself that had shown his true self.

Ivan and Wilbur stayed together in the lobby talking about what they both remember about that night. Ivan's thoughts that night were correct, as Wilbur was had been in a fight about humans with his parents. He ran off from his den, only to stumble upon some of Van Helsing's men who fired several shots at him unsuccessfully before he was able to get away. They never did suspend their pursuit, and tracked him to Ivan's home.

Wilbur was foraging for food through their trash when Ivan saw him. Neither of them expected Ivan's father to be so kind to Wilbur, and even Dracula was shocked when he saw the story in his memory.

Jonathan was walking around the hotel early in the morning. The sun had risen, and most of the monsters had long since gone to bed. However, Jonathan heard a rhythmic beeping coming from one of the rooms. He wasn't sure, but could have sworn it was coming from the room that Ivan was occupying.

Jonathan went to find Dracula so he could tell him about what he had heard. They both went to the outside of the room, and both still heard the beeping. They knew that they needed to investigate it further, but it would be impolite to enter Ivan's room without his permission.

Jonathan went down to the lobby, and found Ivan and Wilbur still catching up. They had been talking for several hours, and they looked as if they could go on all day. Jonathan went up to them, and cleared his throat. "Uh, Ivan?"

Ivan looked away from his friend, and towards Jonathan. "Oh, hey Johnny. What's up?"

"Do you have a cell or something in your room that should be beeping right now?"

"I got my phone with me," Ivan stated trying to think of what in his room could be beeping. "I can't think of what would be beep-" but then he remembered what it was. "Oh shit!" Ivan yelled, worried for all of his new friends.

"What is it?"

Ivan jumped out of his seat before Jonathan even finished asking him about it. He sprinted back towards his room, with Jonathan falling several yards behind. Ivan thought repeatedly while running that they can't be allowed to find this place.

Ivan entered the corridor that contained his room to find Dracula standing outside his door. "I'm so sorry," Ivan apologized for something, but Dracula was unsure of for what. "I've led them here. I didn't mean to, but I did."

Jonathan had caught up to them and asked, "Who's coming?"

Ivan entered his room, and searched in his old uniform. Inside one of the pockets was a small device that resembled a pager. It had no display other than a red light that was blinking. "What is that?" Dracula asked to Ivan.

Jonathan recognized what it was; that being a GPS locator device. When he told Dracula what it was, the look on his face matched Ivan's. "How do we throw them off the trail?" Jonathan asked to both of them. Neither of them were sure what they should do.

All three of them went down to the lobby to ask for ideas from the two werewolves and Mavis also. It took him a minute, but William thought of a plan. "What if we get a corpse, and dress him in Ivan's uniform?"

"That won't work," Ivan said as he thought about the plan. They knew exactly who should be in each uniform. And we'd have to leave it at least 50 miles away from the hotel. A dead hunter in this area would surely result in an investigation, and search for whomever killed him. The only advantage they had, is that the Van Helsings didn't have DNA samples of all of their hunters yet. "There is a way, but it's … tricky," Ivan added as he thought more about the plan.

"What would we need to do?" Dracula asked to Ivan, as he was willing to help his friend anyway that would be required.

"We would need to find a corpse; that part of the plan would work," Ivan told all of his new friends. "Then we would need to dress him and take him a ways away from here to avoid a search of this area." Ivan looked right at Dracula, asking him, "Can you carry a dead body for about 60 miles?"  
"Of course," Dracula answered worried about what Ivan might be thinking.

"Good. Once you drop him, you'll have to bloody him up."

"How much?"

Ivan thought about this for a moment, before saying, "Enough to make it look mortal. But the key is that you must scratch and claw his face so much that he is unidentifiable. Also, smash out as many of his teeth as you can."

"Why his teeth?" Dracula asked.

"They have dental records on most of us. Without teeth, dental records are useless."

Wilbur asked his new friend, "Should I go too?"

"No, Wilbur. There can't be any evidence on the ground, which is why it needs to be Drac, and maybe Mavis; only things that can fly." Ivan frowned when he said this. They weren't 'things', but rather his new friends. "Sorry."

"It's okay," Mavis said smiling at Ivan, as she placed her right hand on his shoulder. "I know what you meant, and so does my dad." Dracula nodded in confirmation, which made Ivan smile slightly.

"Thanks, Mavis. One other thing; he needs to be close to my size."

Dracula looked at Ivan closely, studying the size of him. He focused on height and weight. At sunset, several of the monsters went out to find a corpse that would work. It took Mavis a few hours, but she found one, only about half an inch taller than Ivan, with a similar body shape.

"That's just about perfect," Ivan said as Mavis brought it back, and they proceeded to quickly dress him in Ivan's former uniform.

Shortly after midnight, Mavis and Dracula left the hotel as bats, with Dracula clutching the corpse in his talons. It had taken them only about an hour to get to the outskirts of a village, where they dropped their rouse, and proceeded to savage the the corpse. After about 20 minutes of clawing and biting it, they were unable to identify him at all. Mavis sent a picture through her phone to Jonathan for Ivan to inspect. Ivan studied it for about a minute, before asking them if they did knock all of his teeth out.

"Yep," Mavis texted back, "they're all gone."

Ivan had Jonathan reply to them, "Good. Get outta there."

The two left the corpse bloodied and broken. They flew home, with it taking them only about 45 minutes to return.

"You think that will work?" Mavis asked Ivan when they returned to the hotel.

Ivan shrugged. "Hopefully a bear or wolf gets him too."

"Hey!" Wayne protested. "We don't do that anymore."

"I didn't mean a werewolf, just a regular one."

"Oh, sorry," Wayne apologized, as Wanda could only place her right hand to her forehead as she shook her head. She had known what Ivan meant, and didn't even reply.

The next morning the corpse was found by the authorities in eastern Hungary, where they had left it. As they had planned, the death was ruled being from natural causes, with an autopsy not being performed due to the body being attacked by an animal. The corpse had a badge on it, that identified the man as Ivan Ludiwig, which was the only identification that was available, so that was who they coroner assumed the deceased was. The coroner also contacted the emergency contact listed on it.

As the contact was given the information, they simply assumed that the details given to them were correct. They didn't wish any further investigation, and arraigned with a local mortician to cremate the remains, and dispose of the ashes.

Ivan checked the local newspapers from where they left the body the following days for crime reports and also obituaries. The third day after Mavis and Dracula helped him to fake his own death, he read an obituary that simply said, 'Ivan Ludiwig, 24, died Wednesday of natural causes outside Mako. No funeral, no flowers.'

Upon finishing the obituary, Ivan let out a relieved sigh. The Van Helsings would cease looking him, and he would be free to return to his old life. Their plan had worked perfectly.

Ivan went to Dracula's office, and knocked on the door. "Come in," the ancient vampire said. Upon seeing Ivan, Dracula asked, "Good news?"

Ivan smiled widely, "It worked. I can't thank you and Mavis enough. I'm free of them!"

"You're welcome, my friend."

Ivan couldn't believe it; monsters had not only saved his soul from intense hatred, but they had freed him from service to the Van Helsings. It went further than that as they were also his friends, and he would be indebted to them for the rest of his life.


	22. Goodbye and Hello

**Author's Note:** The second part of this chapter borrows some plot elements from Sweetberry771's story, _Hotel Transylvania 2: the sequel_ , in particular the first two chapters. It is one of my favorites, and definitely is worth checking out. I thank her for letting me use her OC's , and borrowing some of her plot.

* * *

Chapter 22

Goodbye and Hello

Mavis was in her father's office. She was curious about how she was able to find the truth about Ivan's past. "Dad, I don't get it. How'd I find that?"

"Sweet Fangs, you're becoming a powerful vampire. I can feel it." Mavis smiled at her father telling her this. "Seeing into a human's memories is usually the first mind related power we get."

"But I thought you didn't get yours until you were 200?"

"That is when I was able to hypnotize, but I could see into someone's soul much sooner, just not quite as young as you are now." Dracula stroked his daughter's hair before adding, "Powers come when they come. Most of the time, they manifest themselves when they are needed. You needed to find that about Ivan, so you were able to read his mind. But you must be careful with it, as there are somethings that are very dark in people's past. I never wanted you to know about what I had done in the past, but with the hearing I knew that you needed to know. Also, some things are better as surprises."

"Like what?"

"Would you have liked to know about Johnny's proposing, or would you have rather been surprised like you were?"

Mavis smiled as she remembered back to how Jonathan asked her to marry him. Her father was right; that was perfect as a surprise. "Thanks, daddy."

"Anytime, Mouse." Dracula kissed his daughter on the forehead. He thought for a second before he added, "There is another good thing about this, Mavy."

"What's that, dad?"

"It will make it more likely that you will be successful if and when you and Jonathan decide to do it."

Mavis liked the was that he said it, as she hadn't yet told him about it, even though she suspected that one day she might have to turn him. She knew that he would probably want to, since it would mean being able to be with her forever, but she still worried if she would be able to do it. "I still don't know it I should."

"Mavy, you should at least talk to him about it." Dracula resumed stroking her hair, adding, "I know how much he loves you."

"I will; I promise I will." Dracula kissed his daughter one last time, and she left to find Jonathan.

Mavis was wandering the corridors and happened to hear a familiar voice struggling with a decision. From behind a door, she heard a man crying, "I can't stay, no matter how much I want to." Mavis knocked on the door, and it opened revealing that it was Ivan who was hurting.

"What's wrong, Ivan?"

Ivan looked as if he had been in tears, as his eyes were red. He didn't know how to tell his new friends that he had to leave. He just stared at her after he invited her into his room, and they sat on his bed.

Mavis placed her left arm around his shoulder and neck, asking him, "Why can't you stay?"

Ivan panicked when she said this. He couldn't believe that anyone had heard his thought. Or had they not been thoughts, and he actually spoke those words? Tears resumed coming from Ivan's eyes as he told her the truth, "I can't stay. What if they come looking for me?"

"Then we'll deal with them," Mavis said as she squeezed the back of his neck slightly. "We always help our friends."

"I can't ask that of you guys. You've already done more than I ever deserved."

"Are you sure about this?"

"No," Ivan said frowning, "but I know that I can't stay."

Mavis had joined Ivan in tears. She didn't want to lose her new friend as well, but knew she needed to trust his decision. She remained with him for about another hour as they discussed what he should do. Then they began to arrange how they would get him back to his home.

The next day, Jonathan had found that Ivan's old home was still abandoned, and available for a token sum of money from the county clerk, as taxes on it hadn't been paid since the last family moved out. There were rumors that it was haunted, but this didn't bother Ivan since if it was haunted, it was probably the spirits of his parents.

Dracula made sure to tell Ivan that he would be welcome to return to the hotel at any time. Secretly, the ancient vampire hoped he would return, as he had grown fond of the former hunter for his bravery and cunning.

At midnight the next night, Ivan, Mavis, Jonathan, and Wilbur loaded up in a hearse, along with one of the drivers. They proceeded to the village that was in the vicinity of the ancient Castle Lubov, arriving shortly after sunrise. This wouldn't affect Mavis, since it was overcast.

Mavis sported her sun hat, just in case, but with the cloud cover she wouldn't need her umbrella. She and Jonathan went to her mother's castle to take a tour. It wouldn't be the first time they had visited it, but it was the first time since Jonathan proposed to her.

Ivan and Wilbur went to the clerk's office to purchase the property. The clerk was surprised anyone would want it with the rumors, but was more than willing to sell it. Dracula had given Ivan a small loan to cover the costs of purchasing it, and beginning his new life.

Once they returned to the home, Ivan prepared a meal for him and Wilbur. Lamb stew seemed appropriate, since that was what his mother had served Wilbur when they first met him. The two ate and talked, enjoying what could be one of the last times they would see each other.

After they ate, they went to explore the yard where Ivan had spent a lot of his early childhood, which was also where the two of them first met. An old cross still remained, where a puppy Ivan had found was buried. All the memories brought tears to Ivan's eyes as he remembered that fateful day when he met Wilbur.

Several of the local children were amazed by the werewolf. They had all heard the rumors from the 'Monster Festival' the past fall, but they never dreamed that they would get to see a monster themselves. Wilbur thought about trying to scare the kids, but didn't. The children all seemed to be friendly towards him. Even the adults didn't feel threatened by the wolf, as he seemed to be very nice.

As Mavis and Jonathan entered the grounds of the castle, they both felt a presence. It felt as if each of them had another's hand on one of their shoulders, with a gentle woman's touch. A voice spoke to both of them separately. To Jonathan, it said, "I told you that you'd find your destiny. Thank you for following." Upon hearing this, Jonathan smiled as he thought, _Thanks. I can't ever thank you enough, but I will take real good care of her._

Mavis heard something different. "Just trust yourself when the time comes." Mavis looked around after hearing this to see who it might had been, but the only two she saw was her and Jonathan. The voice reiterated, "Trust yourself, and everything will work out fine." Another minute went by before it added, "For both of you." Mavis and Jonathan stared into each other's eyes knowing that they both wanted to spend eternity with the other. The only thing that Mavis was unsure of, was her mother's spirit referring to them being wed, her turning Jonathan, or possibly both.

As they entered the castle with a tour group, they had their arms around each other for most of it. When they entered the room with Martha's portrait, they remained behind the group, just looking up at it. They both felt themselves being drawn closer together, and locked lips in a deep kiss. What neither of them noticed since they were focused on the other, was the smile on the vampiress's portrait grew even wider as she witnessed one of the best expression of the love that she had guided.

As they exited the room, Jonathan smiled widely, placed his left arm around her waist, and said to Mavis, "You know, we got engaged on my parent's anniversary. What do you say we get married on your parent's?"

Mavis was completely surprised by Jonathan's suggestion. "Oh, Johnny, do you mean it?"

Jonathan smiled widely as he pulled her closer to himself, "You bet. When is it?"

Mavis's grin matched her fiancé's, "September 9th."

"Three and a half months," Jonathan said chuckling, "looks like we got some work to do when we get back."

"Wait, Johnny. This year?"

"Why wait, Mavis? I love you, and I still want to be with you."

Mavis gasped as Jonathan said the same words that she had said after Quasimodo exposed him as a human. "I love you too, Johnny." The two embraced one more time at the castle knowing that they would be married soon. "Now how do we tell my dad?"

Upon their return to the hotel, Dracula initially protested the short date for their wedding, but that was only because he forgot the significance of the date at first. This September 9th would have been Dracula's and Martha's 200th wedding anniversary. "I think it's perfect, coffin cake. But what's Johnny going to tell his parents?"

"Well, they already know about me, so…"

"No, sweet fangs," Dracula interrupted his daughter, "I mean about you two being married so soon."

"Oh," Mavis said blushing slightly before giggling, "I don't know, but it was his idea, so I guess he'll figure it out."

Jonathan had already told his sister that he wanted to marry Mavis as soon as possible, so she wasn't surprised when she was told of the date. His parents initially protested, as it didn't leave much time to plan things. However, with the wedding being at Dracula's hotel, planning wouldn't be an issue. It was Dracula's turn to repay Jonathan for the success that was Mavis's 118th birthday party, by giving them a wedding to rival it.

* * *

In the following four weeks, things at the hotel began to return to normal. Mavis had selected her wedding dress, and began to put together her bridal party. She was torn, as a part of her wanted to have Jenna as her maid of honor, while her best friend growing up had been the shrunken head on her door (Yes, Dracula was that protective of his daughter). Every day Mavis changed her mind on who she should ask, but in the end, she offered the position to the head, although she wanted Jenna to be a bridesmaid.

Jonathan had no such problem. He knew as soon as he proposed that he wanted his oldest brother, Brett, to be his best man. Even though he was the youngest of the boys, and this led to Jonathan being picked on by his brothers, he still loved both of them dearly, even if Brett hadn't told him his closest secret; the one that was only known by his father and Mavis.

Mavis and Jonathan sat on the roof. They were staring at the dark sky, as it was a new moon. "So, your sister will be here tomorrow?" Mavis asked smiling, as she was almost as excited about Jenna's arrival as Jonathan was.

"Yep." Jonathan looked at his watch and smiled at the realization, "She should already be in the air." He pulled up her flight information on his phone to find out about when she should be at the hotel. "Let's see. In London at 9:00, Munich at 13:00, and Bucharest at 16:30. The train leaves Bucharest at 18:00, and it's about three hours to Brasov." He made a few clicking noises with his tongue as he did the math to calculate her ETA, which took about twenty seconds. "She should be here about midnight tomorrow." Jonathan smiled as he realized all that she was about to experience.

Mavis smiled as she knew that she would soon meet her best human friend; well other than her zing. "I can't wait to see her again either."

On the flight from London to Munich, Jenna was able to doze off. She saw Martha in a dream one more time who was smiling widely at her. She asked, "Do you remember what I said about finding your zing?"

Jenna smiled as she remembered the first time she saw Martha. "That I need to look in the last place I'd expect to find it."

"Just be ready, because you never know the moment it shows up."

Jenna woke up as she felt the plane land after Martha told her this. She turned to the passenger next to her, who was a large man in a suit to ask, "Excuse me, sir, but how long was I out?"

"Almost two hours," the man said sporting a thick German accent.

"Thank you, sir," Jenna said smiling at him as she thought, _Man, was I really out two hours?_

Upon arriving at the train station in Brasov, Jenna saw a man sporting a sign that had her name printed on it. Apparently, though, the man holding the sign wasn't the driver of her transport to the hotel. That honor went to a man wearing a chauffeur's uniform that looked like the headless horseman from the stories she had read. He held the door open for her, and handed the man with the sign some money.

As they pulled away from the train station, she noticed that the vehicle resembled a hearse more than a car. Before she could think of anything else, though, the driver asked her, "So, Ms. Loughran, are you excited for you first visit to Hotel Transylvania?"

"Jenna's fine, sir," she corrected the driver, "and yes, but I am more excited to see Mavis again."

"She's missed you as well, Jenna. Just relax. It should take us about an hour to get there."

"Thank you, sir."

At the hotel, Wayne and Wanda had just arrived with their children; 83 of them. The least excited of all of them was Wilbur, as he would be the one who would have to baby sit them most of the time. "Man, I don't know why I always have to come to this joint," he said regretting that he didn't take William's offer to go camping this weekend.

"Because it's family time, Wilbur," Wayne snapped at his oldest.

"But you didn't make William come," Wilbur pleaded in sing-song voice.

"He's with his girlfriend; that nice young female werewolf that lives down the forest from us. You had a chance to go with them. I hear she has a sister." Wayne said the last bit a little too suggestively.

"I told you, I'll find my zing when I'm ready." Wilbur always got annoyed when his parents would bother him about finding his zing.

"Wilbur, honey," Wanda told her oldest, "you know you're the same age your father and I was, right?" Wilbur just shook his head at his mother. "You never know the moment it shows up."

Wilbur scoffed at the notion, and so did his father. Wayne knew better than Wanda did how immature Wilbur could act, especially when it came to the thought of him finding his zing. He worried that his son might never find his zing, as he could act like a little boy still, especially when his younger brothers started getting rough.

Wilbur had finally had enough of the barking and rough housing of his brothers. "That's it! I'm going to the room to take a nap."

"But Wilbur, it's only 9:00 PM," his mother told him, but the adolescent wolf didn't care.

"I got a headache. If I stay with these little bastards, it'll turn into a migraine."

"Wilbur!" His mother snapped, "They're your brothers!"

Wilbur didn't apologize, as he left without saying a word.

"Man, I hope he finds his zing soon," Wayne said to his wife. "That might be the only way he grows up."

"Me too, honey."

* * *

 **Author's Note:** Even though Ivan will not return in this story, he will be in my other one, with a secret I don't think anyone expect.


	23. A New Zing

**Author's Note:** This chapter also borrows some plot elements from the first few chapters of Sweetberry771's story. Also, please review and let me know if you guys like the story. I only have a few more chapters planned, which will end with the final preparations for Mavis's and Jonathan's wedding at the beginning of HT2

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Chapter 23

A New Zing

Jenna arrived at the hotel shortly after midnight. She was wearing a pair of dark blue jeans, with a black 'P!nk' tee shirt (the singer, not the color), and a small pendant of her great-grandmother around her neck. As she entered the grand lobby lugging a large red rolling suitcase, she saw a familiar figure standing behind the front desk. But before Jenna could call for her, Mavis leapt over the counter and ran towards her at a full vampiric sprint.

Mavis slowed herself as she approached Jenna and the two embraced; which revealed how much both of them really liked each other. As they separated, Mavis asked her soon to be sister-in-law, "I take it you've heard the news?"

Jenna smiled widely, realizing that soon they would be officially family. "Yep. I just wonder why September 9th?"

"It would have been my parent's 200th anniversary," Mavis said a gigantic smile on her face, that was matched by Jenna as she realized the reason.

Jenna laughed as she understood the significance of the date. "So engaged on our parent's anniversary, and married on yours. And I thought Johnny wasn't a romantic."

"If you could have seen how he proposed to me, you wouldn't think that," Mavis laughed as she told Jenna. The two girls talked for a few minutes, mostly catching up with each other. After that, Mavis said, "Come on! You've gotta meet my dad."

Jenna first noticed the imposing figure of Dracula standing at the top of the stairs when she first entered the lobby though the revolving door. Had Mavis not sprinted for her when she first saw Jenna, she would have wanted to meet the legend himself first.

As soon as Dracula saw that the girls were done talking, he levitated from the top stair down to the main level next to where they had been standing, his cape fluttering in the wind that he created. Jenna's mouth was wide open as she was stunned at the abilities of the ancient vampire, even though she had witnessed Mavis do almost the same thing, minus the cape, with Troy when they first met.

Mavis shook her head at her father. "Still gotta make a grand entrance, huh dad?"

"What?" Dracula asked in his thick Romanian accent.

Mavis laughed at her dad before she said, "Well, you two get to know each other. I'm gonna go find Johnny." Mavis turned into a bat and went to find her fiancé, leaving Dracula and Jenna together.

"Welcome to Hotel Transylvania, Jenna," said Dracula with a gentle smile on his face. "We are quite pleased to have you here."

"Thank you, sir," Jenna said stuttering in the presence of the great legend she never imagined she would meet.

"Please, you may call me Drac or Dracula. Either is acceptable."

"Yes sir, uh, I mean Drac," she said, blushing as she was embarrassed that she still said 'sir'.

Dracula could tell that the girl was nervous, so he wrapped his right arm around her, which enveloped her in his cloak as he proceeded to give her a short tour of the hotel's lobby.

When Dracula surrounded her in his cloak Jenna wondered if Dracula could have been the zing Martha had told her about, but she quickly dismissed that possibility. Mavis had mentioned to her that one only zings once in their life, and her father had definitely zinged with her mother. Jenna realized that Dracula was simply being fatherly to her, and it wasn't anything deeper than that. Jenna stared into Dracula's eyes, and was surprised that they were as peaceful of a blue as they were, especially considering all the dark legends about him.

Word that Jenna had arrived to the hotel had spread through like a fire. Most of the usual guests were excited to meet the future in-law of the great vampire's family. If she was anything like Jonathan was, she would be quickly befriended by all of them. Secretly, a few monsters even hoped that she would be exactly like Jonathan, even going so far as to zing with one of the other young monsters there.

When Mavis had arrived at Jonathan's room, the head on his door had told him that he was taking a shower. She texted him that his sister had arrived, and that Mavis would be waiting in her room so the two of them could go downstairs together.

Wilbur's nap hadn't gone as well as he had planned. He would be sharing a room with ten of his brothers, and they insisted on play-fighting as he tried to sleep. He had growled at them, as he generally like playing the role of the 'big bad wolf' with some humans, but especially his brothers. Well, humans that he wasn't already friends with, as Ivan never got that treatment.

Wilbur heard one of his brothers answer the phone in the room, "Really, Auntie Eunice! Jenna is here?!" Wilbur snickered at the opportunity to use his favorite prank on Jonathan's little sister, and he quickly redressed himself and proceeded to head back down to the lobby.

His plan was derailed as he noticed Jenna wrapped in Dracula's cloak, as it looked like he was giving her a tour. To Wilbur, it looked as if Jenna was in awe of the whole place as Dracula was pointing out one worthless fact after another. Wilbur even went as far as to mock his uncle, "This chandelier is as old as the hotel, while that one it covered in 24 karat gold, bleh-bleh-bleh." His thoughts were interrupted by something grabbing his leg.

"Tag, you're it!" One of his brothers shouted at him, as the young pup ran away from Wilbur as fast as he could.

"Why you rotten little SOB! Wilf, you're a dead wolf!" He shouted as he ran after his brother, not focusing on anything other than his target. "I'll teach you a lesson abou-"

 **CRASH**

Wilbur had collided into Jenna, as he had not been paying attention to where he was running. Mavis and Jonathan had entered the lobby on the stairs just in time to see the collision, and all Jonathan could think was that his father would never let Jenna out of his sight again if she was badly hurt.

After about a minute, Jenna began to stir, but Wilbur was still laying on top of her. If there's one thing about his sister that Jonathan remembered, it was her explosive temper. He expected fireworks when she finally came to completely.

Wilbur finally began to move after about another thirty seconds, as he moaned, "Oh, my head." Wilbur was rubbing his head as he moved his jaw back and forth trying to assess his injuries.

When Jenna heard his moan, she exploded, or at least started to. "Watch where the hell you're going, you damned mutt. You could have-"

However, Jenna's tirade stopped the moment their eyes met. **ZING**. A pinkish-purple gleam came over both of their eyes, and neither of them could speak.

Jenna mouth remained wide open as she thought, _Was that it? Is he my zing? Well, he is kinda cute,_ a smile and giggle accentuating her thought.

Wilbur's brain still wouldn't work; he rarely used it anyway, as he normally relied solely on instinct. He just stared at Jenna and couldn't think of anything. Dracula who was only a few feet away started to help Jenna up first, noticing a bruise surrounding her right eye where Wilbur's head had struck Jenna's. "My, that's quite a shiner," Dracula said as he examined her for any injuries, but couldn't find any more significant than the bruise. "Are you okay, Jenna?"

Jenna was still rubbing her head, which was still spinning. Although it wasn't from the collision, but rather her zing, even though she wasn't completely sure if that was what it was. "Yeah, I guess so." Jenna chuckled as she told her future in-law, "Luckily I have a really hard head. Dad always said if it was any harder it'd be a rock."

Dracula just looked confused at Jenna. He hadn't ever heard of a human having a rock for a head, as the idiom had sailed right over his head. "Do you feel up to continuing the tour, or would you like to go to the infirmary and get examined?"

"Naw," Jenna dismissed Dracula's offer, "I'll be okay. Just need a few minutes for my head to stop spinning."

"Okay, Jenna." Dracula turned to Wilbur to scold him, "As for you…"

Wilbur hung his head, as he suspected what his punishment would be. "I know, I know; I'll go to the iron maiden," he said as he began to walk away, his shoulders slumped as well. However, before he had walked a few feet, he was stopped by a voice.

"Wait," Jenna interjected surprised that Dracula would subject the wolf to torture, "you actually have one of those?"

"It's not a barbaric as the medieval ones, but yes. However it just serves as a 'time-out' space."

"Oh. But I'm fine, Drac. You don't need to punish him."

Dracula wasn't sure why Jenna would be coming to his defense, but didn't want to upset her at the moment. "Very well. Wilbur, you're off the hook this time, but no running in the lobby!"

Wilbur was almost as stunned as Dracula was. He couldn't believe that she started to 'rip him a new one', but now saved him from being in that damned metal box for who knows how long. He returned to his room, not wanting to risk Dracula changing his mind.

Mavis stood next to Jonathan entering the lobby when the events of the last few minutes unfolded. It looked to her as if Jonathan didn't notice, but she thought she saw something when their eyes met. Mavis would have to ask Jenna about it later.

Jenna had finished Dracula's tour, and went to her room to relax for a while. She tried to close her eyes and take a nap, but her head was still spinning from earlier. She decided to go and talk to Mavis; maybe she might have a clue what was going on with her.

Jenna knocked on Mavis's door, but was surprised when the shrunken head on the door started to speak, not hiding the disdain it felt for there being another human in the hotel. "Oh great. Just what we need; more humans."

"I beg your pardon," Jenna answered it sounding slightly irritated, even though she was much more furious on the inside.

"One of you meat bags is enough. I still don't know what Mavis even sees in that b… mmhhf", but the head couldn't finish its statement, as Jenna had taken off one of her socks and stuffed it in the head's mouth.

Mavis opened her door, seeing Jenna's handiwork, and laughed as she saw the head mumbling with the sock in its mouth. "Effective," Mavis said laughing as she pulled her sister-in-law inside her room. "What's up, sis?"

Jenna noticed that Mavis was wearing a black and silver nightgown, and couldn't figure out why. It was barely after 4:00, and the sun wouldn't be up for a few hours. "Not much, just I can't sleep. What's with that?" Jenna asked Mavis about her choice of wardrobe.

"I just like to lounge around in it every now and then. The silk feels really good against my skin."

Jenna was looking around Mavis's room, and saw the book on true love that Martha had made for Mavis laying on the end of the bed. "What's that?" Jenna asked pointing at it.

"That was my birthday present from last year," Mavis answered as she handed it to Jenna, who began to read it.

When she opened it, she noticed what birthday she had just passed. "Wait, so you're really 118?"

"Yeah."

"How old's your dad?"

"Dad's 535."

"So that's why you might have to do that," Jenna said silently as she thought to why a vampire would have to turn their lover.

"Do what?" Mavis asked, even though she suspected what she was talking about.

"Turn Johnny. I mean, I know your mom said that she thought you might not have to turn him into a vampire, but she also said that my whole family would make good ones."

"But that's impossible. You guys are way too old, even if you had vampire blood in you." Mavis had forgotten for the moment that they did have a vampire as an ancestor.

"I don't know, Mavis." Jenna continued reading the book. The artwork was incredibly good, and gasped as she finished it. She realized that Wilbur was her zing, but she wasn't sure if she was his. "Can we talk?"

"Sure," Mavis said as she turned into a bat. "Not here, let's go to the roof." Mavis clutched Jenna's shirt in her talons and carried her out the window.

"Wow, that's cool," Jenna said which earned a smile from Mavis as she returned to her vampire form. "I really wish I could do that," but Jenna frowned as she remembered that Martha had asked Jenna not to ask Mavis to turn her. "Hey Mavis, what's a zing feel like?" a smile returning to Jenna's face.

On the other side of the roof, taking a stroll was the young werewolf. Wilbur felt like howling at the moon, but something stopped him from doing it. His heart was still racing and head was spinning, as he was completely smitten with Jenna even though they hadn't really talked yet. With his heightened sense of hearing he was able to hear two girls talking. He instantly recognized one as Jenna's, while he thought the other was Mavis's.

"I don't really know how to describe it other than an intense longing for someone. Why?"

Jenna blushed slightly as she revealed her secret to Mavis, "Don't tell anyone this, but I think I might of zinged with the werewolf who ran into me."

"Wait, Wilbur?" Mavis yelled shocked at the possibility, remembering the way her 'cousin' usually acted. "Mister 'big bad wolf'?"

Wilbur heard their exchange and he could only gasp as he thought, _No way! She felt it, too._ A large smile on his face expressing how ecstatic he was about the events of the last few hours.

"I know," Jenna said still surprised at the possibility, "but it just kind of happened."

Mavis laughed as she thought back to how she first met Jonathan. "That's kind of how I met your brother, too. He ran into me on the stairs as he was riding a broom. Well maybe I should say he was going along for the ride." Mavis laughed at the realization of how out of control he was on the broom. "Kind of fitting, huh?"

"Yeah, you know, now that I think of it," Jenna said smiling with a slight chuckle, "your mom said that I'd find my zing in the last place I'd think to look. I have to admit, this would have been pretty close to it."

The two girls remained on the roof for a few minutes talking about their zings, and then went inside. Wilbur remained on the roof after they went in, and let out a loud howl towards the moon. His mother was right; he needed to come this time. He never would have imagined that this would be the place he would find his zing, or the fact that it would be Jonathan's sister, but still he was excited for it. He was glad that he had come to the hotel after all. But the only thing he was thinking was how he could tell Jenna about it. A few minutes passed and he remember that the next night was Wednesday, which meant it was karaoke night. What better way to show her than with a song. _But which one to pick_ , he thought.


	24. Blossoming Zing

**Author's Note:** New Semi-OC

Nefi, or Nefertiti is Murray's girlfriend. The two of them haven't zinged as of yet, but both of them are hopeful it will happen someday, although she can get irritated by his shenanigans. She is seen in several scenes of both films alongside Murray, and is voiced by Hillary Scott from Lady Antebellum.

And I know that the chapter's title is a corny rhyme, but what you gonna do? Thanks for 4,000 views!

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Chapter 24

Blossoming Zing

Jenna still couldn't sleep. After Mavis had told her what her zing had felt like, and with Jenna experiencing almost the same thing, she was convinced that it had indeed happened. Her mind was racing as she found herself roaming the corridors and halls hoping she could find someone who could help explain things to her. She just never expected that it would be Wanda that she found.

Jenna wandered the halls aimlessly in her pajamas, a red hoody/footy set. She mostly stared at the concrete floors, not really noticing anyone who she was passing. Jenna accidentally bumped into a few of the monsters, but instantly apologized to them. For the most part, the monsters didn't even reply to her apology, as Jenna looked like she was lost in her thoughts, but when she ran into Wanda it was different.

Wanda had noticed there was something very different in her son when she saw him after his 'nap'. However, she didn't know that Jenna and he had ran into each other in the lobby, and then the magic happened between them.

Jenna began to apologize for running into Wanda, but the werewolf could see something deep was on Jenna's mind. "Something wrong, dear?" Wanda asked gently.

"What?" Jenna asked still not really paying attention to anything but her thoughts as her eyes met Wanda's. Jenna noticed that Wanda had a gentle smile on her face, and her eyes looked soft and warm. "Oh, it's just that, I…" but she started to mumble off in a string of incoherent words.

"Oh my, I've seen that look before, dear," Wanda said as she placed her right paw on Jenna's back. "It's a boy, isn't it?"

"Yeah," Jenna said, while she thought, _If you only knew which boy,_ which made Jenna laugh.

"Is it my Wilbur?" Wanda asked directly, as she started to rub her back.

Jenna panicked because she stated it so bluntly. Jonathan had told her about the initial reaction of Dracula and his friends when he realized that he and Mavis had zinged. Jenna worried that Wanda would be similar to the way the Dracula was. "Uhh…"

"Jenna, I know that something happened to my boy, and you look like you're in puppy love," Wanda giggled as she didn't mean it the way that she said it, but it also got another small chuckle from Jenna. "Jenna, just tell me; did you zing with my Wilby?"

"Wilby?" Jenna asked with a giggle coming from her at the nickname that Wanda had used.

Wanda was smiling, trying to hold in laughter. "He hates it when I call him that, but it always was my 'pet' name for him.

Jenna thought that she would have to call him that, if nothing else than to irritate him a little bit. "I… think so," Jenna said nervous of what Wanda's reaction would be. But to Jenna's surprise, Wanda looked supportive.

Wanda smiled at Jenna, and the realization that her son had finally grown up. "You have no idea how happy I am for the two of you," Wanda said as she hugged her soon to be daughter-in-law, even though she knew how bad Wilbur was a commitment. Wanda knew that when a couple zings, getting married was only a matter of time. "I always wondered what it was going to take for that boy to grow up, and I figured it'd be a girl." Wanda chuckled as she added, "I just never thought it would be a human girl."

Jenna returned Wanda's smile with an even larger one. All she could hope was that her parents would be as supportive as Wanda had been.

Jonathan went to Jenna's room, but was surprised that she wasn't inside. He began to look for her, but found Mavis in her nighty strolling through the hallway. "Hey, Mavy," he greeted her, which made Mavis look up at him.

"Oh, hey Johnny," Mavis replied as she gave him a small kiss on the cheek.

"Have you seen my sister?"

"Maybe," Mavis replied suspiciously, which earned a slight scowl from Jonathan. But before Mavis could elaborate more, Jenna walked into the hallway, her head still spinning as she was staring into space.

"Hey, sis!" Jonathan said while waving at her trying to get her attention, but it elicited no reaction. He grabbed her by the shoulder. This only served to startle Jenna, and she punched him in the gut.

"Oh my god! Johnny I'm sorry," Jenna apologized, placing her right hand over her mouth and gasping as she had seen whom she had hit. "Are you okay?"

Jenna's punch had knocked the wind out of him, and he was hunched over trying to regain his breath. Mavis giggled at Jenna's reaction.

Jonathan coughed a couple of times before being able to speak. "It's cool, sis. I just thought that you'd wanna talk."

"Not really," Jenna said trying to dismiss him. She was afraid of what he might think of her zing, so she thought she'd just avoid talking about it.

Jonathan frowned as he thought that his sister was drifting away from him. The two of them had always been close, but Jonathan feared he may have been losing his connection to his sister. "Okay, sis. We can talk later."

Jenna left for her room and was finally able to go to sleep for a little while, while Mavis and Jonathan went to her room. "What's going on with her?" Jonathan asked to his fiancée, as they sat next to each other on her bed.

"Let's just say she met someone," Mavis answered trying to tell him just enough to get him to not worry about her any more, while also hoping that he would drop the subject.

"Wait, she didn't zing with that wolf, did she?"

Mavis was surprised that Jonathan had placed the pieces together. She always thought that Jonathan was more aloof than he really was, but in reality he was actually a really smart guy. He just chose to hide it most of the time. "Maybe," yet again Mavis answered trying to get him to drop it.

Jonathan looked slightly worried, as he said quietly, "Man, what's dad gonna think?"

"Maybe he'll be as cool with it as he was with us," Mavis answered his verbal thought.

Jonathan looked into Mavis's eyes hoping she was right; even though he knew how protective his father could be with her. "But she doesn't know if he zinged with her."

"Whoa, that can happen?" Jonathan asked as he tilted his head to his right slightly.

"I think so. I mean, I didn't know that you zinged with me when we met."

Jonathan smiled at his soon to be wife, kissing her on the forehead as he said with a large smile on his face, "I definitely zinged with you. You had me wrapped around your finger the second we met."

"No I didn't. You ran into me."

Jonathan laughed at Mavis's naïveté about idioms. He had explained many to her, but knew that he had only scratched the surface. "No, Mavy," Jonathan said as he shook his head and laughed slightly, "I didn't mean literally. It means that I was crazily in love with you, and I'd do anything for you."

"Oh, Johnny!" She shouted as she kissed him. After another minute, Mavis said, "I thought I'd sing a song for them tonight. It's karaoke night tonight."

"I forgot about that." Jonathan replied chuckling, as he never did remember what activities were planned for each night. "What were you gonna sing?"

"I was thinking about _Sparks Fly_."

"Good choice, Mavy. You don't know how big of of Taylor Swift fan she it, but I got a better idea. How 'bout I play guitar with you?"

"That'd be kinda neat, but can you play it?"

Jonathan raised his left eyebrow slightly at her, giving her a 'you're kidding me' look as he ran back to his room to get his guitar. Upon returning, he began to play the opening chords of the song flawlessly, before he stopped midway through the first verse. "Better idea; how about I get your uncles, and we all do it."

"You mean it!" Mavis shouted excitedly.

"Yeah." Jonathan thought of who he'd need to get for the band. "Let's see, me on lead guitar, Murray on backup guitar, Frank plays bass, and Griffin on the drums. That should work." Jonathan shook his head as he realized that they would need at least one more. "But we'll need someone for backup vocals."

Mavis's first thought was Wanda, but she kind of wanted to keep it a secret from Wanda and Wayne, since Wayne was horrible with secrets. After another minute, she suggested, "What about Nefi?"

"Murray's girlfriend?" Jonathan asked which got a nod from Mavis. "Can she sing?"

"Like an angel," Mavis replied smiling again.

"Let me ask the guys, but I'm pretty sure they'll all be in."

Jonathan asked everyone, and they all agreed. He made sure to tell all of them that this was to be kept a secret from Wayne. Jonathan had Mavis take Jenna to the spa when she woke up, so she would be distracted, and the boys could rehearse their song, as only Nefi had heard it before.

It took them about 10 times through the song, before they were able to get through it with only a few minor mistakes. Mavis was right about Nefi; she had a divine voice, and would be perfect to compliment Mavis's.

The lounge was packed for karaoke night. It was decked out in stage lights of various colors, and the walls had been decorated with neon signs. Jonathan had told Dracula that they were common in the human world, and all of the monsters were impressed by the glowing multicolored lights.

Even Dracula had to admit that it was one of the best ideas that Jonathan had about how to have more fun around the hotel. Sure, the old vampire could be slow to adopt to changes, but when Mavis had told him about how much fun she had singing along to _Somewhere Out There_ in California with Jonathan, Dracula was encouraged enough to experiment with a night of karaoke. Its success almost rivaled Mavis's last birthday party until Quasimodo had to ruin it.

The event, as usual consisted of a combination of karaoke and lip syncing, with a few live songs. The first act was Frank, Murray, Wayne, and Griffin playing a _KISS_ song, complete with everyone in facial masks imitating the band's makeup; even Griffin wore one, but that was all you could see on him.

There was only one song that was off limits. After the first time they did karaoke, and Jonathan had sung _Monster Mash_ , Dracula made it clear that no one was to ever do that song again. Jonathan was tempted to do it again, but he didn't want to cross his future father-in-law.

About an hour into the nightly activity, Mavis, Jonathan, her uncles, less Wayne, went on the stage; her uncles had removed their masks they wore earlier. As they prepared to start their song, Mavis said, "This song goes out to a very special couple," which made her smile.

"You guys ready?" Jonathan asked, awaiting for Griffin to count them in, but no count was coming.

After a few seconds, Griffin said softly to Jonathan, "Psst, Johnny, you start."

"Oh, yeah. Oops," he said as he face-palmed. Jonathan counted the tempo out, "1, 2, 3, 4!"

Jenna recognized the opening chords of the song that they were going to play; _Sparks Fly_ by Taylor Swift. She gasped at the opening notes, realizing that the couple Mavis had dedicated the song to was, most likely her and Wilbur. She walked over to Wilbur, who was standing in between his parents. It looked to her that Wanda was glad to see her, while his father was lecturing Wilbur about something. Jenna asked Wilbur, "You wanna dance?" as Mavis sang the opening words to the song.

Wilbur shrugged as he attempted not to show how excited he really was. "Sure," he said in a flat tone, as he took Jenna's right hand to lead her out onto the dance floor. He tried not to show it, but inside he was both stoked and terrified.

The two danced together throughout the first two verses. Jenna noticed that Wilbur looked even more excited as the song continued, as she suspected that he knew why Mavis had chosen to sing that particular song. Not only was it one of Jenna's favorites, but Mavis wanted to help Jenna find out if their zing was mutual, or if only she had zinged. Jenna sang along to the words of the third verse, acting out some of the lyrics.

"I run my fingers through your hair," she sang as she did exactly what the lyrics said, running her right hand along the head of her zing, "and watch the lights go wild." Jenna noticed that the lights were flashing at this line. She wondered if Mavis had arranged for this to happen, or it was just chance. Either way, she smiled even wider as she continued singing, "Just keep on keepin' your eyes on me; it's just wrong enough to make it feel right!" Wilbur couldn't take his eyes off of Jenna, as he felt himself being drawn closer to her. Jenna continued singing, "And lead me up the staircase, won't you whisper soft and slow. I'm captivated by you, baby, like a fireworks show." There was a slight flash of light, imitating a firework exploding.

Jenna was convinced that Wilbur had also zinged with her. But she still wasn't ready for what happened at the final chorus. As Jenna resumed singing, she noticed Wilbur looked to be planning something. "Drop everything now; meet me in the pouring rain. Kiss me o-" but Jenna couldn't get the line out.

The second that Jenna said 'kiss me', Wilbur did exactly that. His muzzle meeting her lips, in a kiss. He kept deepening the kiss until the chorus ended, which to him felt heavenly. Jenna seemed to him to be giving into his every move, which made Wilbur all the more sure that Jenna was his zing as well.

On the side of the dance floor, Wanda had witnessed the whole thing, from the beginning of their dance, to Jenna running her hands through Wilbur's hair, and culminating in their first kiss. When their lips locked, she tapped Wayne on his shoulder with the back of her left paw, asking him in a surprised whisper, "Did you see that?"

Wayne was even more shocked than his wife. He never thought that his son would zing, let alone at the present time. The fact it was a human wasn't a huge surprise; Wayne knew better than most the amount of curiosity that his son had about humans. Wayne knew the risks of a wolf zinging with a human, but since on only zings once, he knew he couldn't get in between them.

As the two new zingers broke their kiss, they both had smiles on their faces. They both knew that they were as meant to be as Mavis and Jonathan were.

The festivities continued until just about just about 4:00. As the crowd had thinned out some, Jonathan wanted to sing one last song for his baby sister and her new love. While he would have loved to have been able to play the song like he did earlier, he couldn't rival the guitar work by the artist of the song he wanted to do.

Jonathan took the stage, "I see we still have a few guys here, so let's make this a couple's dance. Get on the dance floor with your zing, and show them that they were _Wonderful Tonight_.

The opening notes of _Wonderful Tonight_ by Eric Clapton played, and all the couples left, including Jenna and Wilbur danced slowly as Jonathan belted out a heartwarming rendition of the song. By the final line, even Mavis had teary eyes as she looked at her best friend with her new zing.

Jonathan also was fighting back tears as he finished the song, as he was stoked for his sister finding her zing. He knew that she always had bad luck with boys, but this time it was different. They only had two people left to tell about the new love, and that was her parents. Neither Jonathan nor Jenna was sure what they would say, but they were both hopeful that at least her father would be as cool with them as he was with Jonathan and Mavis, even though neither of them knew why he was okay with the engaged couple.

* * *

 **Author's Note:**

Just in case you guys aren't familiar with songs used.

 _Sparks Fly_ by Taylor Swift

The way you move is like a full on rainstorm  
And I'm a house of cards  
You're the kind of reckless that should send me running  
But I kinda know that I won't get far

And you stood there in front of me just  
Close enough to touch  
Close enough to hope you couldn't see  
What I was thinking of

Drop everything now  
Meet me in the pouring rain  
Kiss me on the sidewalk  
Take away the pain  
'Cause I see, sparks fly, whenever you smile

Get me with those green eyes, baby  
As the lights go down  
Gimme something that'll haunt me whenever you're not around  
'Cause I see, sparks fly, when you smile

My mind forgets to remind me, your a bad idea  
You touch me once and it's really something  
You find I'm even better than you, imagined I would be  
I'm on my guard for the rest of the world  
But with you I know its no good  
And I could wait patiently  
But I really wish you would

Drop everything now  
Meet me in the pouring rain  
Kiss me on the sidewalk  
Take away the pain  
'Cause I see, sparks fly, whenever you smile

Get me with those green eyes, baby  
As the lights go down  
Gimme something that'll haunt me when you're not around  
'Cause I see, sparks fly, whenever you smile

I run my fingers through your hair  
And watch the lights go wild  
Just keep on keeping your eyes on me  
Its just wrong enough to make it feel right  
And lead me up the staircase  
Won't you whisper soft and slow  
And I'm captivated by you baby  
Like a fireworks show

Drop everything now  
Meet me in the pouring rain  
Kiss me on the sidewalk  
Take away the pain  
'Cause I see, sparks fly whenever you smile

Get me with those green eyes, baby  
As the lights go down  
Gimme something that'll haunt me when you're not around  
'Cause I see, sparks fly, whenever you smile

When sparks fly oh baby smile  
When sparks fly

 _Wonderful Tonight_ by Eric Clapton

It's late in the evening; she's wondering what clothes to wear.  
She puts on her make-up and brushes her long blonde hair.  
And then she asks me, "Do I look all right?"  
And I say, "Yes, you look wonderful tonight."

We go to a party and everyone turns to see  
This beautiful lady that's walking around with me.  
And then she asks me, "Do you feel all right?"  
And I say, "Yes, I feel wonderful tonight."

I feel wonderful because I see  
The love light in your eyes.  
And the wonder of it all  
Is that you just don't realize how much I love you.

It's time to go home now and I've got an aching head,  
So I give her the car keys and she helps me to bed.  
And then I tell her, as I turn out the light,  
I say, "My darling, you were wonderful tonight.  
Oh my darling, you were wonderful tonight."


	25. A Father's Blessing

**Author's Note:** This is the penultimate chapter of the story.

* * *

Chapter 25

A Father's Blessing

Jenna and Wilbur spent almost all of the following two days and nights together. They were both certain that they were meant to be together, and Jenna knew that with the limited time she had at the hotel, she wanted to spend every possible second with Wilbur.

The two of them spent most of their time talking about plans for the future. Jenna still wanted to enjoy many of the activities that the human world had to offer. Unfortunately for Wilbur, this meant that he would not be able to see her as much as he wanted to. He finally explained why on Jenna's final night at the hotel.

The final night that Jenna would be at the hotel, over Quasimodo's objection Dracula arranged a formal romantic couple's dinner. Dracula made sure to include enough human foods on the menu to accommodate his two guests. But there was another reason why Dracula wanted to experiment with this; the committee had granted him permission to open the hotel to any humans he considered not to be a threat to the monsters there. His kind still had to be Dracula's primary focus, but opening the hotel to more humans would lead to more friendships being forged, and a better chance that when the committee reviewed their situation that they might open more locations for humans and monsters to interact together.

Jenna was wearing a black strapless dress, while Wilbur was in a blue suit. He had always joked that he only wore formal clothing at weddings and funerals, but thank the stars that he was a monster, and most monsters were almost immortal, so funerals were rare.

When Wilbur saw Jenna's dress, all he could do was stare at her beauty. He was in awe of his zing, letting out a howl when he finally was able to remember that they had zinged. Jenna giggled at him as she scratched him behind his right ear, which made him look blissful.

Wanda had a similar look on her face as well, as she couldn't believe how gorgeous she was, when she prettied herself up. "Oh, Jenna. I can't believe how lucky my boy is to have found you," Wanda said wiping a tear from her left eye, while squeezing Wilbur's left cheek with her other.

"Maah-om," Wilbur protested, stretching the word into multiple syllables, "I'm not a little kid anymore."

Jenna laughed at how much like her that Wilbur was. She always complained to her father in much the same manner that Wilbur was complaining to his mother. Jenna shrugged at Wanda as she turned to Wilbur, "Parents," she whispered to Wilbur as she gave him a kiss on the side of his muzzle, which made Wilbur grin, "what you gonna do?"

Wanda shook her head at the young couple. She remembered when she and Wayne zinged, and her parents acted almost the same way that she was, although her father didn't think that Wayne was good enough for his baby girl. Secretly, Wanda feared that Jenna's father would be more like her father, possibly not approving of the two of them.

Many of the food choices that Jonathan had suggested to Quasimodo disgusted the hunchback. Quasimodo even turned to Esmeralda to voice his displeasure. "Not a single worm or insect?" Quasimodo tasted the dish, which was macaroni and cheese. The taste didn't agree with his palette and he spit it out, "Bleh! I don't know how you can eat this stuff!"

Jonathan took a spoonful of the dish that Quasimodo had made, closing his eyes as he brought the spoon to his mouth. As the spoon entered his mouth he expected it to taste disgusting, but to his surprise it was actually extremely delicious. "Man, this is good!" Jonathan exclaimed as he loaded up another heaping spoonful to shovel into his mouth.

Quasimodo was completely stunned; he wondered why to his exquisite French tastes it was repulsive, but to Jonathan's it was delicious. The only thing he could do was to accept Jonathan's compliment, and not think about it.

There were about twenty couples, who dined in the formal setting. Men were instructed to dress formally, with a jacket and tie required, while women were to wear an evening dress of some kind. The dress Jenna wore, actually was custom made for her, as she hadn't planned on needing anything like that during her trip. She was thoroughly impressed by the resident dressmaker, as she was able to craft the gown in less than half a day after having Jenna's measurements. The dress looked to be of a quality that could only be matched by the finest dress-shops in the world, as it was completely hand made.

Jonathan's suit was a gift from Dracula. He had figured that after the human zinged with his daughter that they would travel the world some, but hoped that they would ultimately return to Transylvania to begin their family. Even though Dracula had wanted to give Jonathan a tuxedo similar in style to what he wore, Jonathan selected a simple black three-piece suit. Jonathan knew that Dracula preferred black clothing for formal occasions, and Dracula had asked Jonathan to select a darker colored wardrobe to wear for such occasions. Also, with the wedding upcoming, he wondered how long they would wait before they decided to transform Jonathan into a vampire. This would also require dark colors, as vampires were expected to dress in black.

The final gift that Dracula gave to his future son-in-law that night was a black cloak. The reasoning for this was identical for why he insisted on a black suit. Not only were vampires to dress in black, but also they were expected to wear a cape of cloak to accentuate their wardrobe and position in the world of monsters. But on this night, Jonathan did not wear the cloak, much to the displeasure of Dracula.

Mavis wore a floor length version of the dress she normally wore. At Jonathan's request, she also wore the cape she had made for her last birthday. When Jonathan saw the combination, he was speechless as that was the most beautiful he had ever seen her. Mavis's simple and modest look was extremely attractive to Jonathan, and he couldn't wait for the day that the two would marry.

The couples sat at tables, consisting of at least one other couple. Jonathan, Jenna, Mavis, and Wilbur all sat together at one table, while the Werewolves and the Steins sat at another. Couples were seated with friends together, hoping to spur conversation between the pairs.

Jonathan and Jenna were both served steaks, while the monsters had a few different choices for their entrees. Wilbur chose a rack of venison, while Mavis ate a scorpion bowl.

After dinner, there was slow music played, giving the couples the chance to dance slowly. Dracula had suspected that Wilbur hadn't told Jenna that he wouldn't be at the wedding in a few months, as his mandatory military service would begin soon. During those four years, he would be forced not to see her. Dracula still didn't understand why the Parliament didn't change that rule after allowing limited interaction between the races, especially when considering there hadn't been a monster/human battle in more than a century. All that Dracula could hope was that on one of Wilbur's leaves, they would be able to meet at the hotel.

Towards the end of the night, Wilbur finally told Jenna about not being able to attend the wedding. As expected, Jenna didn't understand why they would have to be apart. "I don't get it," Jenna said to Wilbur, tears visible in her eyes. "Why can't I see you?

"I don't know, Jenna," Wilbur replied, tears also in his eyes. He didn't want to be separated from her either, but this was beyond anyone's control, even Dracula's.

"Did you volunteer?"

Wilbur shook his head, "It doesn't work that way. All male monsters have to serve for at least 4 years."

Jenna knew that some human countries had similar mandatory service requirements, so it wasn't unprecedented. Still she didn't know if she could live for years with seeing him. "Can I write to you at least?"

Wilbur shrugged; he honestly didn't know, since zings with humans usually happened when a monster was much older. He had heard from some of his friends that girlfriends were allowed to write, but couldn't be sure if her being human would disqualify her from being able to. There would only be a few who would know, and their best bet would be to ask either Griffin or Dracula.

Neither Dracula nor Griffin could think of a reason why correspondence would be forbidden, but they could not send any pictures, especially of Jenna. Many of the high ranking members of the army were still skeptical of humans.

Since this would be the last time they would be together, Jenna wanted to seal their zing with a night of intimacy with Wilbur. She knew that four years was a long time to wait, but Dracula had told her how long that he had waited for Martha.

The two young zings went into Jenna's room. She never imagined just how heavenly that it would feel, but the descriptions she heard from her active friends couldn't even begin to do it justice. Wilbur was strong, but gentle, and while it was both of their first time, Jenna had learned enough from hearing her friend's stories that she knew what she was doing.

After they finished, they laid in the bed, cuddling for almost two hours. Jenna would have to leave for Brasov in less than six hours, and craved to spend every possible minute with Wilbur. "I'll wait for you always," Wilbur said with tears coming from both of their eyes with the realization that they would not see the other for a while.

"And I, you." Jenna removed herself from the bed, giving Wilbur one last kiss, and began to ready herself for her return trip to America. She didn't want to leave, but she still wanted to be a teenager for a little while longer, even though she knew that she had found the one that she wanted to be with forever.

When Jenna went into her bathroom, Wilbur went to see his mother. She could tell that they had mated, even though she had never had the talk with him. "Did you two have an enjoyable time?" Wanda asked knowing the answer.

"It was perfect,"Wilbur answered. The look on his face told her exactly what she wanted to make sure; they were both ready for that moment, and their hearts, minds, and souls did merge. They would be wed someday, and all Wanda could do was hope it would be soon.

Jenna's return flights were uneventful, other than she kept trying to think how she could possibly explain what had happened to her father. He was the one who would come to get her from the airport, and that gave them time to talk about the trip; something for which she was both excited and dreaded.

After the expected hugs and greetings, they pulled away from the terminal. Mike asked his daughter, "Anything interesting happen?" despite the fact that he had already known what had happened to her.

Jenna tried to think how much she should tell him. She knew that the entire family, less Sam and her children would be going to the hotel in less than three months for the wedding. "It's the most amazing place I've ever seen in my life," Jenna said smiling. "All the guys there are super nice."

Mike smiled at his daughter. He was glad she had a good time, but was disappointed in her that she didn't mention the boy she had met. Jonathan had called him to let his father know about the fact she met a boy, although he didn't explain that he was a werewolf. "Did you meet anyone?"

Jenna smiled, but was nervous to tell him about Wilbur. "Well there was Wanda and Wayne, Frank and Eunice. And Dracula is so cool!"

"A boy maybe?" Mike asked.

"Yes?" Jenna answered, but it sounded more like a question than a statement. She was scared of what her father would say, but she was shocked when he wrapped his arm around her neck as he drove to their home.

"I know, Jenna. I can see it in your eyes." Jenna looked scared of what her father was about to say, but never expected what he did say. "I hoped you'd meet someone from around here, but I shouldn't be surprised that you fell in love with a monster too."

"Dad?" she asked, tears beginning to come from her eyes.

"I always knew that you and Johnny were a lot alike, I just wasn't quite ready for this one."

"How'd you know?" Jenna asked worried that Jonathan had told him.

"Well, I have my sources," Mike answered with a chuckle, although the only response he got from Jenna was a scowl. "I talked to Mavis and Dracula just after you left the hotel," he admitted smiling at his daughter.

"Are you cool with it?"

"It doesn't matter what I think, sweetie. All that matters is what you do."

"But why?" Jenna asked still not believing her father's answer, but she now had tears streaming from her eyes because of gratitude.

Mike began to stroke his daughter hair to comfort her and to show his approval her her new love before telling her, "Your Grandpa Dennis used to always say that his grandfather, so that would be your Great-Great-Grandfather Frederick would tell him all the time that we can't run from who we are or who we were meant to be. Our destiny chooses us."

"What's that mean, dad?"

"Dracula told me that shortly before Johnny showed up at the hotel, he had a dream of his late wife that told him that he needed to trust Johnny. He now thinks that his late wife knew that Johnny's destiny was to end the fear between humans and monsters. Maybe you're part of that too."

"Thanks, dad." Not another word was said on the drive home, other than Jenna fighting back tears. She wasn't ready for her father to be so accepting of her love, but was extremely grateful that he was.


	26. Jonathan's Soul

**Author's Note:** Sorry for the delay, but I got sidetracked with other things. There will be a short epilogue in the future, but not sure when it will be done. Enjoy.

* * *

Chapter 26

Jonathan's Soul: Both Light and Dark

The next six weeks seemed to pass rapidly. With the preparations for Mavis's and Jonathan's upcoming nuptials, there was an air of excitement throughout the hotel. In addition the hotel had began to accept human guests, but only in one or two rooms at a time. Through nothing other than word of mouth, the news about the hotel had spread trough the human world like wildfire and the allotment of human rooms had been reserved for almost the entire next year. So far the only issues with the humans had been regarding the cuisine, as Quasimodo had been slow to adapt to human tastes, but he had been trying. Dracula had threatened him a few times before the opening of the hotel to humans for trying to cook some of the guests, but after the first time he tried to capture one of the non-Loughran guests, Dracula turned into a version of himself that no one had seen in more than two centuries. Luckily, Mavis was there to interject on her father's behalf, and disciplined the chef before Dracula was completely engulfed in his enraged trance.

By late August, almost all of the preparations for the wedding were complete. Jenna would arrive a few days before the wedding, while the rest of Jonathan's family, less Samantha and her children, would arrive early in the evening of the ceremony.

It was now two nights before the wedding, and Jonathan had just gotten his tuxedo back from the tailor in the hotel. Yet again, it was a gift from Dracula accompanied with another black cloak, this one with a crimson lining. The red-headed human was about to try on his new wardrobe when he heard a knock on the door, followed by hearing the voice of Dracula.

"Is he in there?" Dracula asked the shrunken head on the knob.

"Oh, he's in there, but I think you should leave them alone right now, if you know what I mean. Bow-chika-wow-wow," imitating bad 1970's porn music.

The doorknob hanger always tried to create animosity between Dracula and Jonathan, but this time she was taking things way too far. Jonathan knew what the head was trying to insinuate; that he and Mavis were doing something that comes naturally when two people are in love. He rushed to throw the door open, worrying that Dracula might break it down if he thought that Jonathan was deflowering his baby girl, even though they were about to marry. Call it old fashioned, but Jonathan was more than willing to wait for their first time until the two of them were married if it would make Dracula feel better. The human may have never asked him about it, but he sensed that this was the case.

Upon the door opening and Dracula not noticing Mavis inside, he turned to the head, glaring at it. "Count, wait. I can explain. You see… mmmph!" It protested but could only mumble.

The head was interrupted when the Count raised his left hand at the head and shot his magic at it, freezing her lips. "Let that be a lesson to you!" Dracula snapped at the head, who was able to make sounds, but her lips were unable to move. "Never so much as think that about my Mavy-Wavy."

"Hey Drac!" Jonathan greeted him warmly, relieved that Dracula wasn't going to want to kill him as he hugged his soon to be father-in-law. "What's up?"

Dracula looked around the room, and noticed the tuxedo's bag hanging on one of the hooks in the open closet. Smiling, Dracula asked the boy, "Would you mind letting me see it?"

Jonathan was a little nervous. He had insisted on a change to the wardrobe that he wasn't sure what Dracula would think about it. "Uhh, I… guess," He answered tentatively.

Jonathan took the tuxedo into the bathroom, and began to get dressed. It took about five minutes, plus another three minutes of struggling with the bow tie, before he got frustrated and just left it around his neck untied and then came out. But he didn't come out before taking one look in the mirror. He saw the way he looked and one line came to mind, "I am Count Jon-a-fang! Bleh-bleh-bleh!" Saying it in a tone almost mocking Dracula.

"I do not say 'bleh-bleh-bleh'!" Dracula snapped from outside the bathroom, which only made Jonathan laugh.

Jonathan slowly opened the door, allowing it to creep open before he walked out. Dracula began to inventory Jonathan's appearance beginning at the top of his head. The boy's wild red hair was as untamed as ever. He wondered if there would be nothing that could control it, and Dracula had given up hoping for a more traditional look from him. Next was the tie. With it sitting untied around his collar, he looked every bit the 'slacker' he claimed to be. Dracula assumed that Jonathan simply didn't know how to tie a bow tie, but this was a skill that the vampire could teach him in a few minutes. _No big deal_ , Dracula thought still smiling.

The jacket looked perfect, expertly tailored to match his measurements exactly. Jonathan's shirt was ever so slightly too big, but not so much so to be noticeable if one wasn't looking closely. The waistcoat and cummerbund looked good, except it looked as if Jonathan didn't realize that one normally didn't wear both at the same time. For the first time, Dracula shook his head and groaned slightly about this. But it was what he wasn't wearing that made Dracula the most upset.

Dracula's eyes finally made it to where his pants should have been. "What's the meaning of that?!" Dracula snapped at the human, pointing at his lower body.

Jonathan was wearing a pair of black shorts that, while made from the same material that a pair of trousers would have been, they were hemmed slightly below his knees. "I hate pants; they just itch way too much, especially wool. Besides I almost always wear shorts."

Dracula was about to complain, but this wasn't something he thought he would win so he let it pass. He noticed the human was still wearing his sneakers. "I hope on the big night that you'll at least wear proper footwear."

"Sure, Drac," Jonathan answered smiling, realizing that Dracula was relenting on what worried him the most.

"Can I ask you one more thing?" Dracula asked to Jonathan, who smiled and nodded at the request. Dracula pointed his left index finger at him and pulled it towards himself. As if he was being controlled by Dracula's finger, the human levitated and floated towards him before being set down gently.

When Jonathan began to levitate, he at first panicked, but quickly enjoyed the feeling of being weightless. "Whoa, that's cool!" The human yelled smiling at the vampire.

Dracula pointed his right hand at the box from the tailor's shop and lifted the cloak out of the box, telekinetically making it float to his hand. "Turn around," the vampire instructed as he proceeded to fasten the cloak to the human.

Once the cloak was fastened Jonathan spun around on his left foot, almost a complete 720 degree spin, which made Dracula smile. "Now you're Count Jon-a-fang." Quietly, Dracula thought, _or you will be one day_.

Jonathan ran into the bathroom, and Dracula followed behind. He stared at himself in the mirror for a minute before he remembered something that Dracula had told himself after telling him the truth about Martha. Smiling widely at Dracula, he asked, "I seem to remember you saying that I'd make a good vampire; still think so?"

Dracula stared at the human for a few minutes thinking about it before he started laughing at Jonathan. "Nah," Dracula said passively, allowing Jonathan to think that he had changed his mind for a few seconds before continuing, "I think you'll make a pretty great one."

Jonathan gasped at Dracula's remark. When Dracula had told him that in the past, it sounded speculative. However this time it sounded more definite, as if it would happen some day.

Dracula's POV

There was one more thing I needed to do before the two of them married. I had to know something before I could allow my little beetle pie to try and turn him. "Jonathan, could you do me one more favor?" I asked nervous of his reply.

"Sure Drac," the boy replied smiling.

"I need you to take out those little doo-dads from your eyes."

"What, why?" I saw the boy say as he paled slightly. "You're not gonna erase my memory, are you?"

I could only laugh. If I wanted to erase his memory I would have done it a long time ago. "No, but there is something I need to know."

The boy sighed, "Okay." He turned around and began to fish the lenses out of his eyes. About a minute later, he came out of the bathroom and presented himself to me.

"Take my hands," I instructed him as my eyes began to glow red. I began to stare deep into his gentle brown eyes, and searched deep into his very being, his soul. I had to know this before I could even let Mavis ask him about transforming him.

When I looked into his soul, what I saw was a first for me. I had stared into a human's soul many times before, normally before I would have fed on them in the past. The general rule was the purer the soul, the more satisfying it would be, although the extremely wicked ones could also be satisfying. One of my friends feasted on Stalin shortly before he died, and he said that it was the best blood he ever tasted. But Jonathan's was unique; I had never seen this before. One one hand, his soul was gentle and pure, but also strong. He would certainly be able to handle the transformation. However there was something else that was slightly concerning. I could see a hidden darkness inside him, something almost as dark as myself. That's when I remembered his secret; Jonathan had a small amount of vampire blood in him. In addition, when I bit him my venom may have triggered it to resurge briefly. It was true that it had been too long for him to become one of us from that, but I didn't know if this could affect Mavis trying in the future.

I left Jonathan's subconscious and my eyes returned to their normal icy blue.

"So what was that about?" The human asked me, finally able to control himself again.

"Nothing, just something I needed to know. It's fine, Jonathan. I hope you and Mavis will be happy for a very long time." _Perhaps eternity_ , I thought.

* * *

Mavis POV

I was sitting in my room, playing with my cell phone, when it dinged. I noticed an email from Mike soon after. The subject line said, 'Can't wait to see you again, but this is something that couldn't wait.'

I opened the message, and inside was a picture of Troy and Parker. They looked so cute; I could only hope to one day have kids that looked so cute, but scrolled down, and that's when I saw what I thought he wanted to share. I started reading.

'Mavis, this is for your eyes only. Jacob sent me something about your's and Jonathan's futures. I thought you should know ASAP. We'll be in early the night of the wedding and look forward to seeing you and meeting your dad. Mike'

I looked down further and there was a forwarded message from Jonathan's Vampa.

'Mike, I hope that you will send this to Mavis, as she has not contacted me yet. I know that their wedding is fast approaching, but I will be unable to attend. I do not wish to risk an incident between myself and Linda. Please tell Mavis, that if the two of them do decide to transform Jonathan into a vampire, it will be fairly safe for the two of them to do so. Any vampire bite can initiate the transformation process in a low blooded dhampir, but in their case if Mavis did so the chances of success are high. I wont say certain, but I figure them for better than ninety per cent. Also, there is always a slight chance that Jonathan's vampire blood might take over at some point. It could be temporary, or permanent like with Brett. I don't know if this happens if it will make Jonathan immortal or not, for reasons that I have told you about before. Please tell Mavis that I thank her for helping Brett learn some of his abilities. I wish them nothing but happiness, and hope one day we will be able to convince Linda to allow me to meet your children. Best wishes, Jacob.'

I realized now why Jonathan acted the way he did after my dad bit him. It had started to change Jonathan. I was not sure if this would affect us trying it in the future, but I thought that it would be safer to let some time pass. Maybe whatever triggers the change would lessen in him with time. But I couldn't help but think that this wasn't fair to Jonathan, as if I was cheating him out of something that he may have wanted to do anyway. I didn't know how to even talk to him about it, so not mentioning it was the easiest course of action. But this wasn't the time to have said conversation as Jenna would arrive in a matter of hours. The wedding was two nights away, and we would have plenty of time for the talk in the future. But mom had told me something that gave me hope; that I just need to trust myself when the time comes. It sounded as if she knew that the moment would come when the two of us would both be ready to turn Johnny, but I didn't know when it would be. I could only hope that both she and Jacob were right; that it would be successful because I wanted nothing more than to be with him forever.

There was a knock at my door that removed me from my thoughts. "Mavis, are you in there, sweet fangs?" I heard my dad ask, ignoring the shrunken head on the door.

I smiled as I invited my dad in. "What's going on?" I asked him as he entered.

Dad was smiling widely. I could tell he was in a really good mood. "Devil Chops, I just finished talking to Jonathan. His soul is pure and he will be able to handle the transformation."

I could only smile in return. Knowing what I now knew from both dad and Jacob allowed me to be rid of any doubt in my mind. But I wanted him as he was for a little while longer. I loved Johnny as he was, and would miss the warmth of his touch. I was sure that when the day arrived, we would do it. I just hoped that it would be some time before that.

There was only one more thing that I wanted to know from my dad. I remembered when I tasted Johnny's blood how I craved more, but my dad didn't seem to. I asked, "Dad, why were you not hooked to human blood after Johnny…" I couldn't finish it, because it pained me to think that way about Ivan. He had redeemed himself, and I only wanted to think of the nice young man who left us as a great friend.

Dad took a deep breath and answered me. "Because Jonathan's action was that of extreme love. He was willing to give his life for me, and by extension you. It's the same reason that when you two do decide to turn Jonathan you will be just fine. When you bite him then, it will be an act of love on both of your parts. It will show just how committed both of you two are to each other; that neither of you ever want to have to say goodbye to the other."

"Daddy!" I yelled as I hugged him. My wonderful night was the next one. My best human friend, other than Jonathan, would be here in less than an hour to help me with final preparations. I could only hope that Brett would share his secret with my dad too, since he could help Brett way more than I ever could. Dad had already arranged to have Blood Beaters sent to his house on a regular basis, so Brett could keep his strength high. Now all I wanted was for day to come so the following night, Johnny's and my best night would arrive. I was fully ready to be Mrs. Jonathan Loughran.


End file.
